Orlando Pirates Football Club (often known as "The Buccaneers") is a South African professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club based in the

Houghton Houghton may refer to: Places Australia * Houghton, South Australia, a town near Adelaide * Houghton Highway, the longest bridge in Australia, between Redcliffe and Brisbane in Queensland * Houghton Island (Queensland) Canada * Houghton Townshi ...

suburb of the city of

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

and plays in the top-tier system of Football in South Africa known as DStv Premiership. The team plays its home matches at

Orlando Stadium Orlando Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Soweto, a suburb of Johannesburg, in Gauteng province in South Africa. It is the home venue for Orlando Pirates Football Club, a professional soccer team that plays in the Premier Soccer League. ...

in Soweto. The club was founded in 1937 and was originally based in

Orlando, Soweto Orlando is a township (South Africa), township in the urban area of Soweto, South Africa. The township was founded in 1931 and named after Edwin Orlando Leake, Mayor of Johannesburg from 1925 to 1926. It is divided in two main areas: Orlando West a ...

. They were named "amapirate" which means 'Pirates' in IsiZulu after the band of teenagers that originally formed an amateur football club at Orlando Boys Club broke away and started congregating at the home of one of the people that worked at Orlando Boys Club. Orlando Pirates are the first club since the inception of the Premier Soccer League in 1996 to have won three major trophies in a single season back to back, having won the domestic league

ABSA Premiership The South African Premier Division, officially referred to as the DStv Premiership for sponsorship purposes, is the premier men's professional football/soccer league and the highest division in the league system of South Africa, organized since ...

, the FA Cup

Nedbank Cup The Nedbank Cup is the current name of South Africa's Premier Soccer League, premier club association football, soccer knockout tournament. While many formats have been used over the years, the tournament has always been based on the idea of givi ...

and the Top 8 Cup

MTN 8 MTN 8 is the current branding for a South African soccer cup competition launched in 1972 for teams who finished in the top 8 positions of the league table of the country's preceding top-flight league (currently the DStv Premiership) season. T ...

during the

2010–11 season and domestic league

, the League Cup

Telkom Knockout The Telkom Knockout was a South African professional football knockout competition which comprised the 16 teams in the South African Premier Soccer League. The competition was established in 1982 and was first known as the Datsun Challenge. Under ...

and the Top 8 Cup

during the

2011–12 season. They are one of only two South African teams with

Mamelodi Sundowns Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria in the Gauteng province that plays in the Premier Soccer League, the first tier of South African football ...

to win the CAF Champions League, which they won in 1995. They are the runners-up of the 2015 and 2021–2022

CAF Confederation Cup The CAF Confederation Cup, known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual association football club competition established in 2004 from a merger of the CAF Cup and the African Cup Winners' Cup and organi ...

. Since their inception, the Pirates have won 9 league titles, and 31 trophies in total.

History

Orlando Pirates is one of South Africa's oldest football clubs having been established in 1937 in Orlando East, Soweto. The club's performances over the years have served as an inspiration for young footballers to strive to play the Beautiful Game at the highest level in the black and white colours of the 'Buccaneers'.

Early years

The founders of Orlando Pirates included the offspring of migrant workers who moved from rural areas to work in the gold mines of Gauteng. Boys in Orlando came together at every available opportunity in open spaces and in informal groupings to play football. The original club was formed in 1934 by a group of teenagers at the Orlando Boys Club. Andries Mkhwanazi, popularly known as "Pele Pele", was a boxing instructor at the Orlando Boys Club when he encouraged formation of a football club in 1937 and a year later those teenagers were competing among the minors of the

Johannesburg Bantu Football Association Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

barefoot and without a team kit. In 1940, Bethuel Mokgosinyane, the first president, bought the first team kit with his own funds. Orlando Boys participated in Johannesburg Bantu Football Association's Saturday League, where they won the Division Two title and gained promotion to Division One in 1944. Andrew Bassie, a key member of the team, suggested the new name 'Orlando Pirates'. The team composed the camp's war cry 'Ezimnyama Ngenkani'.

Since 1971

Over the years, Orlando Pirates – also known as 'The Happy People' – have accumulated a record of successes having won the National Professional Soccer League title in 1971, 1973, 1975 and 1976, the National Soccer League title in 1994, and the

Premier Soccer League Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

title four times, in 2001, 2003, 2011 and 2012. Their first-place finish in the 2010–11 domestic league campaign generated much excitement among the club's vast fan base. In 2011, Orlando Pirates enjoyed tremendous success by winning the 2010–11 Premier Soccer League, The Nedbank Cup, The MTN 8 Cup and The Telkom Knockout. This year was dubbed as "The Happy Year." Many other cup triumphs in domestic football have also been recorded, including Vodacom Challenge title victories in the inaugural 1999 tournament and 2005. But the African continent and other areas of the football world took notice of Orlando Pirates Football Club when they won the African Champions Cup (now known as the Champions League) in 1995 and the

African Super Cup The CAF Super Cup (also known as African Super Cup or for sponsorship reasons TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup) is an annual African association football competition contested between the winners of the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation ...

a year later. Along with Mamelodi Sundowns, the Orlando Pirates are the only Southern Hemisphere club to have won the African Champions League. This achievement resulted in the club being honoured by the first State President of the new democratic South Africa,

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

– another first for a South African sporting team. Club chairman, Irvin Khoza, who also served on the

2010 World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

Bid Committee, must be credited with the club's rise to fame over the past few years as the Orlando Pirates supporters – who are nicknamed "The Ghost" – have had much to cheer about. Kaizer Chiefs chairman Kaizer Motaung and his Jomo Cosmos counterpart

Jomo Sono Ephraim Matsilele Sono OIS (born Madoda Walletjies Mkulwana, 17 July 1955), better known as Jomo Sono, is a South African football club owner, coach and former professional footballer. He has been variously nicknamed the "Black Prince of South ...

were popular players of the highest calibre for the Buccaneers before starting their own clubs. Their playing history is deeply entrenched in the black and white colours of Orlando Pirates. In 2005, the team, along with Interza Lesego and Ellis Park Stadium Ltd, announced its acquisition of a 51% share in

Ellis Park Stadium Ellis Park Stadium (known as Emirates Airline Park for sponsorship reasons) is a rugby union and association football stadium in the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was ...

, making it the first majority black-owned stadium in South Africa. It was in the same year that Orlando Pirates achieved Superbrand status. Superbrands is an international company that identifies and rewards the leading brands around the world; Orlando Pirates are the only South African sports team next to the Springboks and Proteas to be given this status.

The Soweto derby

The

Soweto derby The Soweto Derby is a football rivalry between Premier Soccer League's Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in South Africa. It was first contested on 24 January 1970. Matches between the two rivals attract a large fanbase. The rivalry is recogn ...

between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates is one of the most fiercely contested derbies in world football. The first match between both clubs was on 24 January 1970.

Honours

Domestic competitions

South African League titles (9): *

**Champions (4): 2000–01, 2002–03, 2010–11, 2011–12 **''Runners up (6)'': 1999–2000, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2017–18, 2018–19 *

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

**Champions (1): 1994 * National Professional Soccer League **Champions (4): 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976

Cup competitions

**Champions (8): 1973, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2011,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

**''Runners up : 2005 (absa cup by then), 2016, 2017'' *

**Champions (1): 2011 **''Runners up : 2000 (Rothmans Cup by then), 2010, 2018'' *

**Champions (11): 1972, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1993, 1996, 2000, 2010,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

**''Runners up : 2007 (SAA Super 8 by then), 2014''

International competitions

CAF Champions League The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club competition organized by the Confederation of African Football and co ...

**Champions (1):

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

**Runners-up (1):

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

**Runners-up (2):

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, 2021-22 * CAF Super Cup **Champions (1):

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

Cup competitions (unofficial)

*Castle Challenge **Champions (1): 1992 *Sales House Cup **Champions (4): 1972, 1975, 1977, 1983

Reserve and Friendly

Carling Black Label Cup The Carling Black Label Cup is a one-day four-team football tournament in South Africa. Prior to 2022, the Carling Black Label Cup has been a one-day pre-season match between Soweto rivals, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. The teams to compete a ...

**Champions (5): 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019 *

PSL Reserve League The PSL Reserve League as of 2020 the MultiChoice Diski league is the reserve team league for the top South African football (soccer) teams in the Premier Soccer League. The league was established in February 2007 with eight clubs located in the Ga ...

**Champions (1): 2007 *

Vodacom Challenge The Vodacom Challenge was an association football pre-season tournament that featured Vodacom-sponsored South African clubs Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs plus from 2006 onwards an invited European club. Prior to 2006, the competition consi ...

**Champions (2): 1999, 2005

Performance in CAF Competitions

NB: South African football clubs started participating in CAF Competition's in 1993, after 16 years of being banned from

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

due to the apartheid system. The ban extended from 1976 to 1992. *

African Cup of Champions Clubs The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club competition organized by the Confederation of African Football and cont ...

: 11 appearances The club appeared in the

twice (1995, 1996) and have appeared in the

nine times from 1997 to date. *

: 4 appearances *

African Cup Winners' Cup The African Cup Winners' Cup was a football competition that started in 1975 and merged with the CAF Cup in 2004 to form the CAF Confederation Cup. It was a competition between the winning clubs of domestic cups in CAF-affiliated nations and was ...

: 1 appearance * CAF Super Cup: 1 appearance Note *Orlando Pirates did not make an appearance in the CAF Cup, they qualified for the 2001 CAF Cup but withdrew from the competition. As the cup was intended for league runners-up their place in the tournament was then extended to Kaizer Chiefs who had finished third, but they declined as they had already qualified for the more prestigious 2001 African Cup Winners' Cup. Pirates' place in the tournament was then extended to and taken by Ajax Cape Town.

Overall matches

Club Ranking

Club ranking for

2021–22 CAF Champions League The 2021–22 CAF Champions League (known as the 2021–22 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League for sponsorship purposes) was the 58th season of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and ...

and

2021–22 CAF Confederation Cup The 2021–22 CAF Confederation Cup (officially the 2021–22 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 19th edition of Africa's secondary club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF ...

will be based on results from each CAF tournament (Champions League and Confederation Cup) from 2017 to 2020–21. ''Updated after CAF Champions League/Confederation Cup matches on 17 July 2021.'' Orlando Pirates F.C. Currently Ranked 22nd, as they enter the

2021-22 CAF Confederation Cup Increment or incremental may refer to: * Incrementalism, a theory (also used in politics as a synonym for gradualism) * Increment and decrement operators, the operators ++ and -- in computer programming * Incremental computing * Incremental backu ...

after finishing 3rd in the 2020-21 DStv Premiership

Notable former coaches

Walter Da Silva Walter Cesar Nogueira da Silva (12 January 1942 – 21 May 2009) was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a striker. Active primarily in South Africa – scoring a total of 162 goals for Highlands Park, Powerlines, Hellenic and Be ...

(1988) * Shepherd Murape (1994) *

Joe Frickleton Joe Frickleton (c. 1935 – 14 December 2020) was a Scottish professional football player and manager, active primarily in South Africa Playing career Frickleton, who played as a wing half, played youth with Clydebank Juniors, before turning pr ...

(1995) * Viktor Bondarenko (1995–1996) *

Shaibu Amodu Shuaibu Amodu (18 April 1958 – 10 June 2016) was a Nigerian football player and coach who played as a forward. Playing career Amodu, a striker, played for Dumez and Niger Tornadoes. His playing career ended after he broke his leg. Coachin ...

(1996–1997) *

Ted Dumitru Theodore "Ted" Dumitru (born Dumitru Teodorescu; 2 September 1939 – 26 May 2016) was a Romanian football manager who is best known for his time in South Africa. Dumitru was one of few coaches who have led South Africa's 'big three' clubs ...

(1999–2000) *

Gordon Igesund Gordon Igesund (born 22 July 1956) is a former South African football player and coach who was most recently the manager of Highlands Park in the Premier Soccer League. Early life Igesund was born in Durban to George Norman Igesund (born 193 ...

(2000–2001) * Jean-Yves Kerjean (2001–2002) *

Kosta Papić Kosta Papić ( sr-Cyrl, Коста Папић; born 17 July 1960) is a Serbian football coach who has managed a number of great African clubs in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania. Coaching career Previous clubs: Kaizer Chiefs, Maritzbur ...

(2004–2005) *

Milutin Sredojević Milutin Sredojević ( sr-Cyrl, Милутин Средојевић; born 1 September 1969), simply known as Micho, is a Serbian Association football, football manager who currently serves as the head coach of the Uganda national football team. He ...

(2006–2007) * Bibey Mutombo (2007) * Owen Da Gama (2007–2008) *

Ruud Krol Rudolf ("Ruud" or "Rudi") Jozef Krol (; born 24 March 1949) is a Dutch former professional footballer who was capped 83 times for the Netherlands national team. Most of his career he played for his home town club, Ajax, and he became a coach ...

(2008–2011) *

Júlio César Leal Júlio César Leal Junior (born April 13, 1951 in Itajuba, Brazil) is an association football manager. Leal has coached clubs in Kuwait, Brazil, Japan, United States and South Africa. He parted ways with Orlando Pirates Orlando Pirates ...

(2011–2012) * Augusto Palacios (interim; 2012) *

Roger De Sa Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ...

(2012–2014) *

Eric Tinkler Eric Tinkler (born 30 July 1970) is a South African football coach and former player who manages Cape Town City. Early and personal life Tinkler was born in Roodepoort. Club career Tinkler played club football for Wits University, União de ...

(interim; 2014) *

Vladimir Vermezović Vladimir Vermezović (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимир Вермезовић; born 30 June 1963) is a Serbian football manager and former player who is the head coach of Slovenian PrvaLiga club Mura. Playing career Vermezović started playing ...

(2014–2015) *

(2015–2016) *

Muhsin Ertuğral Muhsin Ertuğral (born 15 September 1959) is a UEFA Pro Licensed Turkish football manager. He works as Turkish National Team Technical Advisor for the Turkish Football Association (TFF). Playing career Ertuğral played for Antalyaspor befor ...

(2016) * Augusto Palacios (interim; 2016–2017) *

Kjell Jonevret Kjell Jonevret (born 28 June 1962) is a Swedish football coach and a former player. Managerial career Jonevret managed Djurgårdens IF between 2004 and 2006. During his time in Djurgården, he led his team to the double, winning both the Allsv ...

(2017) *

(2017–2019) *

Rulani Mokwena Rhulani Mokwena (born January 8, 1987) is a South African football manager who is the manager of Mamelodi Sundowns. The son of former Orlando Pirates player Julias Sono, and nephew to Jomo Sono, Mokwena hails from a footballing family and start ...

(interim; 2019) *

Josef Zinnbauer Josef "Joe" Zinnbauer (born 1 May 1970) is a German football manager and former player. He played as a midfielder. Playing career Zinnbauer retired from playing after suffering a cartilage injury. Coaching career Zinnbauer's coaching career s ...

(2019–2021) * Fadlu Davids & Mandla Ncikazi (interims; 2021–2022) * Jose Riveiro (2022-current)

Club records

*Most appearances:

Happy Jele Happy Quinton Jele (born 1 January 1987) is a South African association football retired player who played as a defender and captained the Orlando Pirates FC in the South African Premier Division. Mostly regarded as a club legend for the Sowe ...

401 *Most goals: Benedict Vilakazi 52 *Most capped player: Teko Modise 58 (South Africa) *Most appearances in a season:

Senzo Meyiwa Senzo Robert Meyiwa (24 January 1984 – 26 October 2014) was a South African professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and captain for both Orlando Pirates in the Premier Soccer League, and the South Africa national team. He was sho ...

51 (2013–2014), Oupa Manyisa 51 (2013–14) and Willy Okpara 51 (1994–1995) *Most goals in a season: Dennis Lota 23 (1999–00) *Record win: 9–1 v Olympics FC (Bob Save Super Bowl, 7 March 1999) *Record loss: 0–6 vs Mamelodi Sundowns (League, 11 February 2017) Loftus Versfeld Stadium,

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

*Most games unbeaten: 17 (1975, 2005) *Most goals scored in a season: 61 (1989) *Most goals conceded in a season: 60 (1986) *Most wins in a season: 19 (1990) *Fewest wins in a season: 5 (1985) *Most defeats in a season: 15 (1985) *Fewest defeats in a season: 3 (1994)

Premier Soccer League record

Club officials/Technical team

*Chairman/managing director: Irvin Khoza *Head coach : José Riveiro *Assistant coach: Mandla Ncikazi *Assistant coach: Sergio Almenara *Goalkeeping coach: Tyron Damons *Fitness coach:

Michel Beliver Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

*Assistant Fitness coach:

Percy Moloi The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into us ...

*Strength & conditioning coach: Miguel Bellver Esteve *Conditioning coach: Stephen Plummer *Data scientist: Gavin Smith *Performance analyst: Rayaan Jacobs *Performance analyst: Darian Wilken *Physiotherapist: Kutlwano Molefe *Physiotherapist:

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

*Physiotherapist: Lauren Tate *Kit manager:

Lucky Matshaba Lucky may refer to: *An adjective of luck Lucky may also refer to: Film and television * '' Lucky: No Time for Love'', a 2005 Hindi-language romance starring Salman Khan, Sneha Ullal, and Mithun Chakraborty * ''Lucky'', a 2005 short film by Av ...

*Kit manager: Goodness Mhlongo *Kit manager: Itumeleng Khoza *Kit manager:

Pule Sithebe Pule may refer to: People Surname * Boalefa Pule (born 1990), South African footballer * Hermano Pule (1815–1841), Filipino religious leader * Jabu Pule (born 1980), South African football player * John Pule (born 1962), Niuean artist, novelist ...

*Team security: Nhlanhla Jwara Orlando pirates team photo

Players

First team squad

(Captain)

References

External links

*
Official Twitter pageOfficial Facebook PagePSL Club Info
{{CAF Super Cup winners Association football clubs established in 1937 Soweto Premier Soccer League clubs Soccer clubs in Johannesburg 1937 establishments in South Africa CAF Champions League winning clubs CAF Super Cup winning clubs