Ouaddou Believes Fans Will See Progress Despite Champions League Exit
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has acknowledged the disappointment of supporters following their elimination from the CAF Champions League but insists there are clear signs of progress within his team.
The Buccaneers were knocked out by Congolese side St Eloi Lupopo in the second leg of the second preliminary round, losing 5–4 on penalties after a 3–3 aggregate draw. Both sides won one match each.
Despite the setback, Ouaddou believes the fans can take pride in the team’s spirit and performance.
“Yes, I think of course when you’re supporting a team like Orlando Pirates and you love the club, and of course, there’s a lot of expectations from the fans, and they’re of course disappointed,” Ouaddou said.
“But at the same time, I think they have seen how the boys are fighting since the first minute and how they deal with the football, and the way they played on Saturday.
“I think they can have some trust and confidence for the future with this team, and of course, I can understand the disappointment because everyone wants to go through. We did our best, and the best team didn’t go through the group stage.”
The Moroccan mentor’s comments offer consolation to the Pirates faithful, who had hoped to see their team progress further in the competition.
Last season, Pirates reached the semifinals under Spanish coach Jose Riveiro. Ouaddou’s side was determined to make its mark in this year’s campaign and showed great fight despite falling short.
The 46-year-old tactician also expressed his personal disappointment, describing the defeat as one of the toughest moments of his career.
“This is a big disappointment in my career, and the last one was in 2004 when I was in the final (of the AFCON) against Tunisia with the fantastic team of Morocco (where they lost 2-1),” Ouaddou added.
“Sometimes that’s how football is, and we have to accept it. However, we don’t have to go down, and we must maintain the trust and confidence in the players, as we have such a target in all remaining competitions.
“So, we don’t have time to be disappointed, and the disappointment we have to go on chasing it because we have some objectives that are arriving quickly.”
The Buccaneers will now turn their attention to the Carling Knockout Cup quarterfinal against defending champions Magesi at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday — a highly anticipated clash after Pirates were eliminated by Dikwena Tsa Meetse in the Round of 16 last season.
