What really happened between Orlando Pirates & Monnapule Saleng? Jose Riveiro opens can of worms - 'The boy wasn't happy... he wasn't there'

Monnapule Saleng started the 2024/25 season quite well, inspiring Orlando Pirates to MTN8 crown.

The 27-year-old was expected to play a vital role in the Sea Robbers' season, but things didn't work out as expected.

The last match he played in Pirates' colours was against Al Ahly in Group C's CAF Champions League game staged at the Orlando Stadium on December 7.

In the ongoing transfer window, the majority of Pirates fans expected the club and Saleng to resolve their issues and work together.

However, the club made a shocking decision to send the South Africa international to the Premier Soccer League newcomers Orbit College, albeit on loan.

Former coach Jose Riveiro, who is now with Al Ahly, has since explained where the problem started.

“Do I have to do five subs? Is everybody alright? Saleng or you alright?” he opened up on the Giants documentary, narrating how Saleng was not willing to help in the Carling Knockout game against Mages, in which they eventually lost 3-2.

“No? [Saleng doesn't want to continue] Okay, out. Where is Mohau Nkota? Take Nkota.”

“The period of decision was weird, with Saleng… So he takes you to a weird space, to start to speculate if he’s ok or not, if he really wants to play for the team, or not.

“Because we know Saleng, we know what he’s capable of doing – always ready to play, always ready to train, always delivering incredible performances.

“And we have a weird half-time, we have a weird game against Magesi in the Black Label Cup. You could see that the boy is not happy; he’s just not himself. He’s not the guy enjoying every action, even if he has to run to defend 60m, he enjoys the action as well.

“And he wasn’t there…," Riveiro continued.

“I tried to concentrate on what’s coming for the ones who want to go to the field and fight for the team one more time, another 45 or 50 minutes, and not give time or energy to that issue, even though it was not something really nice to see."

Saleng didn't give much when asked about the whole circumstance involving the parties.

“What caused the situation? A lot of things. A lot of things happened.” 

The next assignment for Saleng is to prove his quality when he turns out for Orbit College in the 2025/26 season.

That will be a massive opportunity to prove the Sea Robbers made a mistake by allegedly not improving his terms.