Manqoba Mngqithi explains why this season’s title race is different

Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has delivered a candid assessment of the Betway Premiership title race, admitting that even as a competitor, he is captivated by the relentless pursuit of Mamelodi Sundowns by a surging Orlando Pirates side.

Mngqithi was speaking in the aftermath of a sobering night at the Orlando Amstel Arena, where his Abafana Bes’thende side suffered a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of the Buccaneers. The result marked Mngqithi’s heaviest defeat since his return to the Durban-based outfit over a year ago.

Despite the personal sting of the loss, the former Sundowns tactician noted that the current landscape of South African football is in a healthy state. With the Brazilians picking up maximum points away at Durban City, the gap at the summit remains a precarious two points with seven fixtures remaining.

MANQOBA MNGQITHI: PIRATES’ PURSUIT OF SUNDOWNS IS A GIFT TO SA FOOTBALL

Mngqithi highlighted that the 2025/26 campaign has broken the recent trend of Sundowns running away with the league title by mid-season.

“I don’t know whether it will be decided on the last day, but I like the competition Pirates have brought into the championship,” Mngqithi told the media. “Normally, when we reach this stage, there is a team leading by 12 or 13 points. That’s why you start to believe it will go down to the wire this time.”

With 21 points still up for grabs, the Arrows mentor believes the pressure being applied by the Soweto giants is a gift to the local game.

“It excites everyone in South Africa who follows football to see this pressure imposed by Pirates on Sundowns. I’m so keen to see what’s going to happen.”

Refusing to hide behind excuses, Mngqithi offered a blunt post-mortem of his side’s performance, while reservedly praising the work done by Abdeslam Ouaddou and his technical team.

While Arrows had early sights of goal through Ayabulela Maxwele and Nduduzo Sibiya, their indecisiveness in the final third proved costly.

“It was just a bad day at the office. From the beginning, we did not look the way I expected,” Mngqithi admitted. “Pirates ran stronger than us; they were very powerful off the ball and worked very hard. It exposed our frailties in terms of energy because they were hungrier than us.”

The coach expressed particular frustration that the goals conceded came from specific tactical patterns his team had already analysed.

“They created scoring opportunities from situations and individuals we had analysed in those pockets. We were just not at our best and weren’t hungry enough. They deserved it; it’s just sad that the scoreline ended at five.”