The Buccaneers have not lifted the MTN8 trophy in eight years, but Jele is confident things will be better for his team this season
Orlando Pirates defender Happy Jele claims the club will do everything in their power to reach the final of the MTN8 this season.
The Buccaneers will lock horns with Highlands Park in the quarter-finals, and while Jele has set sights on going all the way to the final, he understands that they need to get past the first hurdle.
“Orlando Pirates compete for every Cup. So, this one we just want to go out and compete and we’ll see where we finish, but our ambition is to go to the last game of the competition, which is the final of course, but the important part is to focus on the first game against Highlands Park,” said Jele at the launch of the MTN8 on Wednesday.
According to Jele, winning the MTN8 will serve as motivation for the players to do well throughout the season, but he insists that the first game is the most important one.
“I think winning this trophy will serve as motivation for everyone in the team to do well in the season ahead because this one is only four games to play,” continued Jele.
“So, we just have to focus on that and try to win it if we can but, as I said, the first thing is to focus on the first game because it’s very important.”
Pirates have not won the MTN8 since 2011, and last season, they bowed out at the quarter-final stage after going down to SuperSport United at the Orlando Stadium.
Jele is hopeful anything would be possible if they can do better than last season by qualifying for the semi-finals this season.
“Last year we lost out to SuperSport United on penalties in the first round. So, this year we want to proceed to the next game,” he concluded.
The matches for this season’s MTN8 quarter-finals will be played next week.
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