Ouaddou Reveals Shock Resignation Propped

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou revealed he offered his resignation following consecutive season-opening losses to Sekhukhune United and Marumo Gallants, before the board’s backing ultimately sparked the Buccaneers’ historic 2025/26 domestic treble triumph.

Pirates sealed the Betway Premiership title on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Orbit College, having already lifted the MTN8 and Carling Knockout trophies earlier in the campaign.

Expectations were immediately high at the Soweto giants when the Moroccan tactician was entrusted with the job, but endured a nightmare start after Pirates lost their opening two Betway Premiership matches.

The poor start sparked intense criticism from supporters on social media, with many questioning whether Ouaddou was the right man for the job. However, the coach remained committed to his vision despite the growing pressure surrounding the club.

Months later, the situation has changed dramatically. Ouaddou has now etched his name into Pirates history after guiding the Buccaneers to their first league title and domestic treble since the 2011/12 season.

Speaking after the league title triumph, Ouaddou admitted he seriously considered stepping down following the club’s early struggles.

“These two games that I lost at the beginning of the season — I am a human being, you know?” he said.

“As I told you, I work with passion, and when you lose two games, even though you know the work will eventually pay off, you don’t have time. Like I said, you have the popular court on social media putting pressure on you because they want results. But I’m not a magician, especially when I have 10 new players.

“It’s a new game model that the players need to learn, and I will not lie to people and say, ‘No, no, I will get you results immediately.’ So when I lost those two games, I felt I had no other choice but to offer my resignation to management.

“I am an honest man. I’m not chasing contracts or money. I’m doing this job for the love of the game. If people don’t like me, what can I do? I just have to hand in my resignation.

“I don’t ask for anything. I shake hands, take my flight, and go back to France. But I was fortunate to be supported by fantastic people, and they didn’t want to hear about that.

“They said, ‘No, we interviewed you more than five times. We listened to you, and we know exactly that you are the man who can lead us to the promised land.’ So they supported me and gave me trust and confidence.

“So credit must go to them. Maybe at other clubs, they would have chased you away after two games.

“But today’s result is not the result of Ouaddou alone. It is the result of the vision of Mpumi Khoza and Nkosana Khoza. This is the vision of smart people at Pirates. It’s not only Ouaddou’s title — it belongs to the entire Orlando Pirates community.”

The former Marumo Gallants mentor also praised every department within the club for contributing to what has become one of Pirates’ greatest modern-day achievements.

“I think what we have achieved as the Orlando Pirates community — and when I say the Orlando Pirates community, I mean the players, technical staff, medical department, performance department, analysis department, management, and of course the fans all over Africa — is something special,” he added.

“We achieved this title, this treble, together. We started writing this story at the beginning of the season. We had difficult moments because that is football. Everybody knows you cannot only have good moments throughout a season.

“You can experience fantastic moments, but difficult ones as well. Everybody stayed together, we worked hard, and today we are seeing the reward. So credit must go to all those people.

“And I want to thank the Pirates board. I feel honoured as an African coach to lead this club and, together with all these people, bring joy and happiness to Orlando Pirates supporters.

“So I thank them for giving me this opportunity. We can see that when there is a vision, a project, and, most importantly, trust, fantastic things can be achieved. So thanks to everyone who supported us throughout this achievement.”