FINDING THE NET
MNINAWA NTLOKO: Pirates may have let Ertugral steer himself onto the rocks
Ertugral will not be mourned by many among his former players, writes Mninawa Ntloko
It was moments after a magical SuperSport United had wiped the floor with Orlando Pirates that the conspiracy-theory WhatsApp messages started to circulate last Wednesday night. They suggested that dark forces influenced United’s 6-1 league triumph and that Pirates players deliberately rolled over and played dead at the feet of the opposition in a calculated attempt to force temperamental coach Muhsin Ertugral out of the club. The messages claimed the plan was hatched during the half-time break after Ertugral — who could start a fight in an empty room — insulted his players in the locker room even though Pirates were actually leading 1-0. The Bucs capitulated in the second half and conceded an incredible six goals to lose the match 6-1. It was a record defeat that equalled Pirates’ loss to Mamelodi Sundowns by a similar score in a BP Top8 quarterfinal in February 1990. The messages further claimed that the players had planned to do the deed a few days earlier in the Soweto Derby aga...
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