Orlando Pirates to Face Team With Players Earning R5,000 Monthly in CAF Champions League

• Orlando Pirates travel to Mauritius for a CAF Champions League clash against La Cure Sylvester SC on Sunday
• A former Mauritius international revealed the staggering wage gap between the two clubs' players ahead of the tie
• The Premier Soccer League giants will also need to adapt to an artificial pitch at a stadium holding only 4,500 spectators

Orlando Pirates are set for a CAF Champions League assignment unlike most they have faced before.

The Soweto giants make the trip to Mauritius to take on La Cure Sylvester SC at the Cote d'Or National Sports Complex, where kick-off is scheduled for 13:30 on Sunday, and the gulf between the two sides goes far beyond league standings.

The wage gap that says it all

Former Mauritius international Patrice D'Avrincourt has shed light on just how stark the financial difference is between Betway Premiership football and the island nation's domestic game. Speaking to Goal, D'Avrincourt revealed that only three or four players in Mauritius reach a monthly salary of around 50 000 Mauritian rupees, which translates to approximately R17 000.

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The vast majority of players, however, take home just 15 000 Mauritian rupees per month — roughly R5 000.

"Talking of money, the best-paid players here get 50 000 Mauritian rupees [R17 000], and that is maybe three or four players," D'Avrincourt told Goal. "Most of the players here earn 15 000 Mauritian rupees [R5 000], so I hope you understand what I mean when I say the levels are not the same."

Those figures paint a vivid picture of how different the two footballing worlds are heading into Sunday's encounter.

Pirates face unfamiliar conditions in Mauritius

Beyond the financial contrast, the Buccaneers will need to navigate a playing environment far removed from what they are used to back home. D'Avrincourt flagged that Pirates will be competing on an artificial surface, at a venue with a reported capacity of just 4 500 spectators.

"Pirates will come here and play on an artificial pitch at a stadium with only 4500 seats," he said.

For a club accustomed to the atmosphere and scale of South African football, these are conditions that will demand a different kind of preparation. On paper, Pirates hold a clear advantage in resources and continental experience, but La Cure Sylvester SC will be banking on home comforts and the element of unfamiliarity to fuel any upset ambitions.

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Source: Briefly News