The domestic league is officially coming to an end this week and a player Orlando Pirates sent out on loan this season is in a catch-22 situation.
Siphelo Baloni spent the season on loan to Chippa United and will be returning to the Soweto giants to start pre-season. After making 20 appearances in all competitions for the Chilli Boys this season, which is more than he managed in his first campaign with Pirates in 2023/24, he now has to consider what the future holds for him should he stay with the Buccaneers next term. And the big consideration, of course, is game time.
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Were it not for an injury which kept him out since March, Baloni would no doubt have had more opportunities at Chippa. The purpose of the loan, as his agent Basia Michaels explains to Soccer Laduma, was to get more playing opportunities, considering the competition he had in midfield at Pirates.
"Loans are always great in that they give opportunity. You look at that midfield (at Pirates) and the congestion and you say ‘you need game time and you are not going to play’ and that’s the reality. It’s not about ability, it’s about making a decision. With Siphelo, it wasn’t that we went out searching for a loan. The loan opportunity came to us. He played a friendly match against Chippa and coach (Kwanele) Kopo said ‘Basia can you not give me Siphelo’. And then it becomes a situation where I knock on the (Pirates) chairman’s door and I say ‘chairman this is an opportunity that’s come, how would you feel about it?’ The chairman always has this where he says you should justify it. And then he lets him go," managing director and owner of QT Sports, Michaels, said to Soccer Laduma.
"Let’s not run away from the fact that Siphelo didn’t play towards the end of the season (at Chippa) because he picked up an injury, but that’s okay. That’s football, unfortunately. In the beginning, Siphelo assisted a few goals, scored a few goals and found himself in the middle of that team, playing for 90 minutes. And that’s the growth you need out of him because it creates hype and interest from other teams."
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Baloni will return to Pirates for pre-season, but there is currently no guarantee that he will stay with them for the 2025/26 campaign. There's a new coach coming in after the exit of Jose Riveiro and competition in midfield remains tough at the club, so decisions have to be made in the coming weeks.
"I am not saying he’s not going to stay at Pirates because he still has a contract at Pirates. But it puts him on a platform that if it doesn’t work out at Pirates, there are the other opportunities. The reason for taking him out on loan was to get game time so that he does not get disgruntled and so he can go back with the fighting spirit. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work out. Then, the next steps."
