WATCH | 'The plumber won the Nedbank Cup': Pirates' Paseka Mako

Orlando Pirates left-back Paseka Mako's hilarious post-match interview after his team won the Nedbank Cup final on Saturday night has been cracking up the internet.

Videos of Mako declaring to SuperSport TV that, “The plumber won the Nedbank Cup”, have gone viral since Pirates' 2-1 win against Sekhukhune United in the final at Loftus Versfeld.

Mako is referring to critics in the media and public who labelled then new coach Jose Riveiro, an unknown quantity in South African football, a “plumber” soon after his appointment in early July 2022 despite the Spaniard having quite a strong CV.

The term “plumber” is given by South African football fans to mostly foreign coaches who arrive to coach in the Premier Soccer League with questionable credentials. 

“I'm happy that the plumber won the Nedbank Cup,” an ecstatic Mako tells interviewer Thato Moeng in the video.

“They were calling our coach a plumber, but now he's a champion. I'm so happy for him.”

Riveiro — who coached Finnish team FC Inter Turku to second, second and third place in the top flight Veikkausliiga from 2019 to 2021 — leaves his first season in charge of Bucs with his head held high.

He steered Pirates, who had won one trophy in eight seasons and finished a poor sixth in the DStv Premiership last season, to the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup trophies and second place in the league in 2022/23.

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.