“We Want To Keep This Title”: Ouaddou Issues Rallying Cry As Pirates Eye Historic MTN8 Record
Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says the Buccaneers intend to retain the MTN8 trophy when they take on Sekhukhune United in the semi-finals.
Pirates’ remarkable domestic cup dominance will be tested on Saturday when they travel to Old Peter Mokaba Stadium for the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final tie against Sekhukhune.
The Soweto giants have claimed the MTN8 title in each of the past four seasons. The last time Pirates failed to win the competition was in the 2021/22 season, when Moroka Swallows eliminated them in the early rounds—a result that led to the departure of then-head coach Josef Zinnbauer.
Pirates are now determined to extend their historical run in the tournament, which features a R10 million winner-takes-all grand prize.
The MTN8 features a unique format contested exclusively by the top eight finishers from the previous league campaign. With back-to-back semi-final legs against Sekhukhune sandwiched around a league fixture, Ouaddou has urged his squad to play intelligently, noting that Babina Noko consistently provide a stern test.
“It is really a pleasure to play in this competition, especially when you see the organisation and professionalism around it,” said Ouaddou.
“I can tell you that everyone is taking this competition very seriously, including us as a club. The beauty of this competition, we call it a Super Cup – the champions of the league against the champions of the national cup, the Nedbank Cup winners.
“But in South Africa, we put our title there on the table. There are eight teams that you have to fight with. The game will not be easy because we are playing the first game away against a very good Sekhukhune team.
“We know that the games against Sekhukhune are always difficult, especially when we are playing on a small pitch. But for us, we want to keep this title.
“We know that we have two games and we just want to focus on the MTN8. But definitely, we want to go there to get a result with a lot of ambition.
“At the same time, it is a game that we have to play very cleverly, especially when you play two games like that.”
Pirates is remaining undefeated in two-legged semi-final ties since 2020.
Mamelodi Sundowns host Golden Arrows at Lucas Moripe Stadium in the other semi-final first leg on Sunday.
