A released Orlando Pirates defender has revealed why he parted ways with the club despite featuring in 31 matches in all competitions last campaign.
The Soweto giants have been refurbishing their squad ahead of the 2022/23 season, announcing several shock departures, including that of Abel Mabaso.
Mabaso, who spent four years at Pirates, making over 65 appearances has already found a new club. He was unveiled at DStv Premiership newcomers, Richards Bay as one of the new signings.
"It was a privilege and honour to represent a club of the magnitude of Orlando Pirates. I am grateful for the opportunity the club granted me. I've had ups and I've had downs," Mabaso told Soccer Laduma.
"We just felt that in terms of moving forward, we decided that it's best for me to look for other opportunities and new challenges. It was best for me to take that new step and look forward to a new beginning and look forward to a new challenge. The club treated me well for the past four years and I've served them well.
"The club felt like I might not be playing as much as I was playing in the past season in the upcoming season. They kind of forecasted that I might not get as much game-time as I would have got in the previous season, Mabaso added.
"Football is a place of opinions, so I just thought that if they had that in mind, it's best that I go now while the relationship is still good and go to a different place. I played a lot of games, so it was kind of surprising, to be honest, especially with the number of games I played and (what I) contributed to the team and how we did in the previous season.
"I did fairly well in the previous season and the club deems that I am not going to be getting as much game-time in the coming season. So, that's what happened. We agreed to part ways in an amicable way."
In this week's edition of Soccer Laduma, Mabaso also opens up on:
- The treatment he received at Orlando Pirates
- His next chapter at Richards Bay
- CAF Confed Cup heartbreak
- His time at Pirates
Get the latest edition of Soccer Laduma, edition 1281, available in stores and online now!
