Ncikazi will not lobby for vacant Pirates post - but remains available to serve

Speaking to SABC Sport after their last game of the season, a one-all draw against Magesi FC on Wednesday night, Ncikazi says he’s prepared to serve in any position the club assigns him to.

He’s been at Pirates for the last four years, having joined in 2021, as Josef Zinnbauer’s assistant, and says he’s not desperate for an opportunity.

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"Nothing is happening in my head- it's empty in that regard. I'm not the type who looks for opportunities in this club, I want to serve this club, and I've always just served the club. Orlando Pirates teaches you a lot of things, and you don't only learn how to be a better coach, or a better player, but a better human being as well," said the caretaker head coach. 

Ncikazi also served as a co-coach alongside Fadlu Davids following Zinnbauer’s departure from Pirates, and together they guided the team to the CAF Confederation Cup final in 2022, where they were defeated by RS Berkane.

Having worked with the newly appointed Al Ahly head coach for the past three years, he says he’s ready to accept any position he’s assigned to.

"When you are appointed here, you must put your aspirations to one side because you are here to serve. This club is a machine, and you have to go with the machine. I will go where I am sent," said a passionate Ncikazi. 

Despite finishing the season with only one trophy out of a possible five that they were contesting, Pirates will look back at this season as one of their most successful ones. This sets a serious target for the new technical team, and Ncikazi says Pirates is a club hugely influenced by data, and that will be key for planning purposes next season.

"Data in this club is massive, this institution operates on the submission of detailed reports from many departments. It also massively informs the process of player recruitment and sales," explained Ncikazi.

Since then, the Pirates team of Kostadin Papic, which had the likes of Benedict Vilakazi, current reserve team head coach Joseph “Duku-Duku” Makhanya, Gifty Leremi, Lebohang “Cheeboy” Mokoena, and Phumudzo Manenzhe, there has never been a youthful and impactful team at the Bucs like now. Ncikazi says the brand of football they play requires youthful exuberance.