THE COACH who returned Orlando Pirates to the top of South African football, Abdeslam “Waddu” Ouaddou, has revealed that he resigned from the club after being criticized for starting the 2025/2026 season with Zimnyama.
Pirates won the Betway Premiership after defeating Orbit College 2-0 at Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, on Saturday. With this, they ended a 14-year drought without knowing the league, displacing Mamelodi Sundowns who won it eight times. Pirates finished top with 69 points, followed by Sundowns with 68.
This clash of Pirates means that in ten months under Ouaddou they have won the league, MTN8 and Carling Knockout.
Ouaddou revealed the secret of almost leaving the team after losing the first two games of the season, which caused him to be stigmatized by the fans, who wanted him fired.
“Being beaten in the first two games is not good, but when you know that you are putting together a team, it is not so bad. The problem starts when all your decisions are analyzed on social media and no one defends you because you are new to the team and you are given more than 10 new players,” said Ouaddou from Morocco.
“All this made me realize that I will not get the chance to do what I have to do, I asked those in charge of my affairs to inform the Pirates that I am resigning. At that time it was clear to me that I was in a place where I was not welcome, so I asked to be released from the contract without payment.
“They could hear everything I was saying by the Pirates management who reminded me that they tested my ability five times, so they had no doubt that I am the coach who will lead them to the promised land. I thank them for showing their trust in me.”
Ouaddou avoided answering questions about his future despite still having a year left on his contract. This has made others interpret it as saying that he will leave Zimnyama.
“What I want now is to rest, to be with my family, to think about the future. That’s what’s important to me because you can’t deceive people. Leading Pirates is difficult, you need strength, a good state of mind and enthusiasm. I have to sit, think, talk to the faithful managers, people who have supported me throughout the season. I’m not canceling the contract, I’m not chasing money. There’s a lot of expectations from the fans. I’m talking now because I’m tired, I’ve worked for ten months, I need energy. So I can’t talk to you about the future yet,” said Ouaddou.