Pirates Report: What We Know About Radiopane’s Absence

Boitumelo Radiopane during the Betway Premiership match between Orlando Pirates and TS Galaxy. Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Boitumelo Radiopane’s absence from the Orlando Pirates matchday squad for Saturday’s CAF Champions League encounter against African Stars has raised questions, with indications that the striker is being carefully managed by head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.

The Buccaneers travelled to the Botswana National Stadium for the first leg of their second preliminary round tie against the Namibian side, securing a narrow 1-0 victory to take an advantage into Friday’s return leg at Orlando Amstel Arena.

Radiopane was notably absent from the squad despite having featured in the starting line-up just days earlier, when Pirates registered a convincing 3-0 victory over TS Galaxy in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old made his opportunity count against the Rockets, getting on the scoresheet as the Soweto giants continued their campaign on a positive note.

According to sources, Ouaddou is managing Radiopane carefully as the technical team looks to get the best out of the striker while navigating a demanding schedule across domestic and continental competitions.

The approach is understood to be similar to the one the Pirates coach has taken with midfielder Thalente Mbatha, whose involvement has been carefully monitored following his return from injury.

Mbatha featured in the MTN8 final against Mamelodi Sundowns before being left out of the squad for the subsequent league encounter against TS Galaxy.

Ouaddou later explained that the decision was precautionary, with the club unwilling to take unnecessary risks with an important member of the squad.

The Bafana Bafana midfielder was back in the team against African Stars as Pirates continued to manage his return to action following his injury layoff.

Check Out: Dobsonville Matches A ‘Costly Exercise’ For Lerumo

While there has been no official confirmation that Radiopane’s omission was for the same reason, the striker appeared to have picked up a minor knock before being substituted in the second half against TS Galaxy, where he had demonstrated his ability to contribute in the final third.

With the return leg against African Stars approaching, attention will now turn to whether the striker features in Ouaddou’s plans as Bucs look to complete the job and secure their place in the CAF Champions League group stages.

Oct 25, 2026 12:57 PM
in Premiership

Oct 22, 2026 12:24 PM
in Kaizer-Chiefs

Oct 23, 2026 10:20 PM
in Bafana

Oct 26, 2026 10:47 AM
in Orlando-Pirates

Oct 24, 2026 06:06 PM
in Kaizer-Chiefs

Oct 17, 2026 09:50 AM
in Bafana

Oct 16, 2026 05:20 PM
in African Football

Oct 16, 2026 09:54 AM
in TS-Galaxy

Oct 15, 2026 12:23 PM
in African Football

Oct 16, 2026 11:01 AM
in Mamelodi-Sundowns

Adverts keep Soccer Laduma free to read. Your ad blocker stops them. Please allow adverts on soccerladuma.co.za. You can still read without allowing them.