Pirates coach: People think I was arrogant
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Pirates coach: People think I was arrogant
Aug 20, 2026 – 10:20 pm
By Thato Bosoga
Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has explained what drives the team to become ambitious, as he suggested that “sometimes you need balls” to achieve success.
Pirates have won the MTN8 for a record-extending fourth time and speaking ahead of their semi-final first-leg against Sekhukhune United on Saturday afternoon at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, Ouaddou said that they would not be complacent, as excitement comes from not knowing who is going to win a title.
“It’s one of the intrinsic motivations, when you know that you’ve been chased and everybody wants to get you,” Ouaddou told Journalists at a press conference held at the MTN8 headquarters in Randburg.
“I think first and for all it’s good for us but more than that what brings interest in the league is not to know who is going to win the league at the beginning of the season and it is what brings people to the stadium and for people to watch on TV.
“But if you come and you know who is the champion, it does not make sense, that’s why I said to the guys last season, it’s not easy, because people think I was arrogant,” Ouaddou said.
The French-Moroccan coach went on and vowed that sometimes you need to be brave to become successful, as he felt vindicated by vowing to make Pirates win the league for the first time since 2012 when he arrived at the beginning of the 2025/26 season.
“The first training (session) I had with them in Spain I told them, ‘Hey, this season we need to win the league!’ You know many coaches come here, they are cautious, they say, ‘Ja but I need players, I need time’ but you need sometimes,” Ouaddou said.
“Excuse me for using these words but sometimes you need balls to say, ‘Ja, I want to win the league’. And this season again we want to win the league, it won’t be easy, I’m not saying we’re going to win it but we’re doing everything to win it.
“And we’re doing everything to win the (CAF) Champions League. You know if you come here, play small and protect yourself, what are you going to protect anyway? If you lose two or four games you go out,” the former Marumo Gallants head coach added.