Pirates: Was the missing Thalente Mbatha injured or naughty?

Orlando Pirates midfielder Thalente Mbatha was subject to wrongful criticism after sustaining an injury against Sekhukhune United.

This led to the 24-year-old missing their top-of-the-table clash against Mamelodi Sundowns, which finished 4-1 to Ka Bo Yellow, a game Mbatha would have arguably shined in.

The Brazilians humbled Jose Riveiro’s side, who had several starters injured, causing a major reshuffle to their starting eleven, something the Spanish boss is not prone to doing, often naming the same team (more or less) week after week.

After the loss, outraged fans accused Mbatha of turning up to training hungover, resulting in him being taken out of the team, but that seems far from the truth.

Mbatha was injured

“He (Mbatha) is available, and he has been training with the rest of the team (Pirates),” an inside source revealed.

“He has recovered and is available for selection. Whatever else you read on social media about the player, which has nothing to do with his injury, is untrue. He missed those games (against Sundowns and Baroka) because he was injured, and that’s all.”

Additionally, the dynamic playmaker took to Instagram live to squash the rumours, saying, “They said I’m not training, you listen to everything, and I just came back from training. People can say whatever about me, but I’m coming from training.

“You guys will see me tomorrow [against Golden Arrows]. I guess the person who said this knows better; maybe he’s the one who hired me, or he owns the club. You see when you’re doing well, people will always want to do things to bring you down,

“What I say, guys is that I’m from training, and in the past matches, I was injured; even the team did say that I was injured. I’m fit for tomorrow; if they put me in the team, then I’m playing.”

Ndah back?

Another player the Orlando Pirates faithful would have loved be playing against Sundowns is Nigerian defender Olisa Ndah – the towering centre-back hasn’t featured since September, fracturing his fibula and tibula.

After five months out, his return seems imminent.

“He [Ndah] has done well in the past few weeks and will be ready when selected to play. He is in line to return in the coming matches, possibly this week.”

Where does Mbatha rank in the Orlando Pirates midfield?

Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1

Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.