Orlando Pirates has granted head coach Jose Riveiro an early release from his contract, which was scheduled to expire at the end of June 2025.
In April, the Buccaneers announced that Riveiro will leave at the end of the season following his decision not to renew his contract.
Jose Riveiro leaves Orlando Pirates earlyHowever, he has since requested an early contract release , which the club has agreed to. His final game in charge of the Bucs will on Tuesday, 13 May when they host Golden Arrows in the Betway Premiership.
"Jose approached us a few weeks ago with a request to be released from his contract ahead of schedule, having signed with a new club, club chairman Dr Irvin Khoza said in a statement.
"Given the timing amidst a series of crucial fixtures - we believed it was best to delay this announcement until after the Nedbank Cup Final . His contribution since joining the club has been immense. We learned a lot from him, and he learned a lot from us.
"While we would have preferred to formally honour him with a proper send-off, we fully respect his decision to depart before the end of his tenure."
Riveiro joined Pirates in June 2022 and has led the club to multiple trophies during his three- year stint, starting with the 2022 MTN 8 League Cup and 2022/2023 Nedbank Cup.
He also became the first coach to win the MTN 8 three times in a row in 2024. The Bucs defended the Nedbank Cup in the 2023/2024 season after beating Mamelodi Sundowns in the final.
However, they came up short in this years edition, succumbing to a 2-1 loss to Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs in an exciting match.
"I want to express my sincere appreciation to Orlando Pirates for allowing me the opportunity to leave before the end of my contract. As someone who has never found goodbyes easy, this moment is particularly emotional for me, Riveiro said.