Former Orlando Pirates winger Patrick 'Tito' Maswanganyi has opened up about the emotional difficulties he experienced during his time at the Soweto giants, revealing that social media criticism from supporters affected his family so badly that some of his loved ones wanted him to stop playing football.

Maswanganyi, 28, left Orlando Pirates at the beginning of the current season and moved abroad after a difficult period at the club. The attacking midfielder previously explained that the negative comments directed at him on social media had started affecting his family, making his situation increasingly uncomfortable.

The former Pirates star has now provided more details about how his family reacted to the criticism he received from supporters. He explained that while he personally knew how to deal with negative comments, watching his loved ones suffer because of what people were saying about him was much more difficult.

During his time at Pirates, Maswanganyi became a regular topic of discussion among supporters, with his performances attracting different opinions. While some fans appreciated his contribution, others were unhappy with his displays and regularly expressed their frustration on social media.

The situation also attracted attention following comments made by Pirates legend Jomo Sono, who used the controversial comparison about not comparing an ant with an elephant. The statement became widely discussed among South African football supporters.

However, Maswanganyi has made it clear that Sono's comments did not personally affect him.

Speaking to iDiski Times, the midfielder explained that he had received negative comments from the beginning of his career at Orlando Pirates and had learned not to allow them to influence his performances.

"I would say no," Maswanganyi said when asked whether Sono's comments had affected him.

He explained that the situation became different when his family started getting involved in the criticism.

"I think I've gotten bad comments a lot from the start of my debut for Orlando Pirates, but those comments were never things that affected me."

Maswanganyi admitted that his family was deeply hurt by the treatment he received on social media. According to the midfielder, some of his loved ones became so uncomfortable that they sometimes did not want him to attend training or return to the club.

He revealed that his family even suggested that he should consider quitting football altogether because they believed that leaving the game would stop people from making negative comments about him.

However, Maswanganyi continued trying to explain that criticism was part of being a professional footballer. He told his family that supporters sometimes expressed their frustration because they wanted players to improve, even though their comments could be difficult to deal with.

Unfortunately, the situation continued, and his family struggled to accept the repeated criticism.

The former Pirates winger also explained that if the negative comments had only affected him personally, he might still have been playing for the Buccaneers.

"But if it was only about me, I was still at Pirates – even today, playing and working," he said.

His comments offer a deeper understanding of his decision to leave South Africa and show that his departure was influenced by more than footballing considerations.

Maswanganyi believes that anyone with children or family members would understand why he found the situation difficult. He explained that people naturally want to protect their loved ones from experiences that cause them emotional pain.

The midfielder's latest comments also highlight the impact that social media criticism can have on professional footballers and their families, particularly when negative opinions continue beyond the football pitch.

While Maswanganyi insists that he was personally able to handle the criticism, seeing his family hurt by it made his situation at Orlando Pirates much more complicated.

Source: IDiskiTimes