It will come as a surprise to the football fraternity, but Orlando Pirates have extended the contract of defender Bongani Sam.
The Siya crew has been informed that the Buccaneers still see a future for the 26-year-old at the club despite sending him on loan in the previous two seasons having been considered surplus to requirements.
Sam joined the Soweto giants from the now-defunct Bloemfontein Celtic in July 2019 along with midfielder Kabelo Dlamini and striker Tshegofatso Mabasa at the time Micho Sredojevic was the head coach.
But the junior international struggled with injuries and when he bounced back, Pirates opted to loan him out to Maritzburg United, especially seeing as Josef Zinnbauer had then taken over. The stint with the Team of Choice was short-lived as the side from the Midlands ended it halfway through the 2022/23 campaign and returned him back to his parent club.
Moroka Swallows then stepped in to take the player on another loan until the end of the campaign and that is where Sam is currently playing his football with the expectation that he will go back to the Houghton-based outfit at the end of June.
Soccer Laduma has been led to believe this will indeed be the process followed after word got out that Bucs have extended his contract by two more years until June 2025 at least. Prior to the lengthy break enforced by the Africa Cup of Nations over the next four weeks in Ivory Coast, the left back had managed 15 games in all competitions for the troubled Dube Birds.
Was this the right decision by Pirates? Share your views in the comments section below!
