When people hear the name Gordon Igesund, often the title of 'record-breaking four-time PSL winner follows closely after, but very few know the sacrifices it takes to win a championship, let alone with a team that has not done so in seven years.
I will tell you a story that I've never shared with anyone before. In my head, the 2000/01 season with Orlando Pirates plays like a movie. An emotional rollercoaster with plot twists at every turn.
In my first few months in the Pirates hot seat, I had managed to galvanize my squad of superstars and had everyone pulling in the same direction, thanks to a stern decision I took with the team's star player Steve Lekoelea, which I alluded to last week. That season, after getting off to a flying start, we spent a large majority of the campaign in first place, at this stage a dream start, only for the pressure of what was to be a close title race start to mount, with six games to go.
Following our impressive start to the season, we made it all the way through to the BP Top 8 final. My first opportunity to deliver silverware to Dr Khoza and the Pirates faithful, as per my promise when taking up the position of head coach. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, the PSL decided to change the date of the final, which now clashed with my daughter's wedding. I was faced with a difficult decision. It was my first cup final with Pirates and also the biggest day of my daughter's life. An impossible decision to have to make. Ultimately, I took the decision to miss the first part of the wedding and lead my team against a youthful Ajax Cape Town at the FNB Stadium. A decision I wish on no coach to have to make.
The final started well, and we took the lead via Pollen Ndlanya. We were controlling play and I was confident we would see the game out, winning the trophy within the 90 minutes, which would give me time to rush off at the final whistle and make my scheduled flight to Durban.
If only it was that easy. Ajax went on to score a 94th minute equalizer. I was devastated! The game was now heading into the first-ever golden goal extra-time period with the trophy back up in the balance, plus I was now facing the prospect of missing my flight and the wedding in its entirety.
Just before the extra-time resumed, I called my captain and star midfielder Thabo Mngomeni over to the touchline and said, "please Thabo just score a goal, I need to get out of here." A few minutes later, Thabo scored from the penalty spot and we won the match.
Thanks to the radio station 702, I had organized a helicopter to fly me straight from the stadium, to OR Tambo so I could make my flight to the wedding. It was so surreal, I didn't even get the chance to celebrate with my team, instead getting a birds eye view of a packed FNB stadium in celebration, while on my way to join the reception of my beautiful daughter's wedding… A rollercoaster of emotion ending in a double win!
With the first trophy in the cabinet and the team playing some really good football, we continued to march on. Next on the calendar was the Soweto Derby against bitter rivals Kaizer chiefs. A game that's impossible not to leave an imprint in your memory for the sheer magnitude of the occasion. The atmosphere is electric. However, on this occasion it was for the most heartbreaking of reasons.
A day where 43 football-loving fans tragically lost their lives during the pandemonium that lead to a stampede at Ellis Park.
For us on the bench, we were oblivious to what was happening in the stands, totally focused on the job at hand until fans started making their way onto the field as their only means of escape.
Emotion very quickly went from the excitement of the game, which got off to a blistering start with both teams attacking at will and scoring within the first 30 minutes, to pure fear and disbelief as what was happening in the stands slowly filtered down to pitch level.
That tragic incident left myself and my team with a lot of emotional scars and we finished that season with the mothers, brothers, sisters and fathers of the 43 people who lost their lives, as a constant in our minds.
The stress of this tragic incident proving to be the speed bump that began to derail our season.
After the Ellis Park disaster, the team was in anguish and naturally went into a dip of form.
While my players and myself were not too concerned, as with our points advantage on the top of the league and having to face all of our closest rivals in the remaining 6 fixtures, our fate was in our own hands. I knew as long as we didn't lose, our rivals couldn't gain the necessary advantage to get ahead of us.
However, with this tactical approach to managing the remaining fixtures, it allowed Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns to narrow the gap.
However, even though the pressure was beginning to build, after a string of consecutive draws, I was confident that as long as we maintained our lead at the top going into the last game, regardless of how small, we would get the job done. Some fans then without knowing or understanding the method to the madness of us needing to do what was necessary to lift the league title, began to panic. Moroka Swallows then unexpectedly knocked us out of the quarterfinals of the BOB Save Super Bowl.
Two days after our Cup exit, I was busy preparing for training when a taxi full of supporters pulled up to the training grounds and charged straight towards me. I was brutally beaten before a number of players came to my rescue and placed themselves between me and my attackers. To say I was shaken would be an understatement, we were five points clear with three games to play and still very much on course to lift the league title. I was in complete shock and couldn't understand how this was happening. It was a frightening position to be in.
Dr Irvin Khoza who was out of the country at the time phoned me that same day to check up on me and told me, "coach, I've heard about the incident, when I get back I will get to the bottom of this, but rest assured I will guarantee your safety."
Despite having to move from my apartment to a hotel and fearing for my life, on the strength of Dr Khoza's word, I was back at training the next day, resolute to finish what I started, albeit accompanied by security guards. To this day I still don't know whether it was Pirates fans or opposition fans trying to sabotage our league run in, but whatever it was, it nearly derailed my plan completely…
Our last three games of the season were against Jomo Cosmos, Moroka Swallows and Ajax Cape Town, with Chiefs and Sundowns hot on our heels. If we wanted to maintain our advantage going into the last game as planned, we couldn't afford to lose any of those matches.
Still shaking from the training ground attack, I was understandably nervous going into the Cosmos match. To add to the nerves, Cosmos scored first. I began to feel the hostility from the crowd, who were growing increasingly anxious. At the time, out of fear I began thinking about my own safety, rather than the game at hand and how was I going to get out of the stadium without being attacked again.
Irrationally, I thought that if I could manage to get sent off, I would be able to get escorted up to the suites where I would be safe. I then started hurling the most atrocious insults at the late referee Ian McLeod who was a gentleman of the game. Despite my best efforts to get sent off, Ian came over to my assistant coach Alex Heridia and said, "coach, I know Gordon is under pressure, but I don't want to send him off, please calm him down." In retrospect, l owe Ian a lot for keeping his levelheadedness and managing the tension and Alex for calming me down.
We equalized shortly, and it's amazing how one kick of a ball can change the entire mood. Suddenly the nerves were settled, the crowd was back on our side, supporting us and everything was again going according to plan. The match ended in a draw.
This allowed us to go into our final match against Ajax as planned, with our fate in our own hands.
On the 23rd of May 2001, Orlando Pirates were crowned PSL Champions, ending their seven-year league trophy drought after having beaten Ajax Cape Town 3-0. Finishing the season on 61 points, one ahead of Chiefs in 2nd on 60 and two ahead of Sundowns in 3rd on 59. That 2000/2001 campaign was one of the most rewarding but emotionally brutal seasons of my life!
For personal reasons, I left the team at the end of that campaign, but the memories of Orlando Pirates will be etched in my heart forever. Once a Pirate always a Pirate!!
