A historic domestic treble and the end of a 14-year drought, but is Abdeslam Ouaddou's time at Orlando Pirates already up? Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Abdeslam Ouaddou led Orlando Pirates with passion, raw emotion and selflessness over the last 10 months, forcing him to empty his tank in the process. That’s why he needs to thoroughly recharge and reflect before deciding whether he can continue leading the team.
Ouaddou awakened a sleeping giant over the weekend as he returned Pirates to the summit of South African football, winning the Betway Premiership to end a 14-year title drought in his first season. That completed a domestic treble, having already won the MTN8 and Carling Knockout.
Under his stewardship, the Buccaneers became a force to be reckoned with. They showed desire, a never-say-die attitude and maturity, despite the squad largely consisting of relatively young players.
Ouaddou’s devotion to his job has endeared him to The Ghost, as he brought immense success where even highly rated predecessors failed over the years.
Given all that, most people associated with the club want the towering Moroccan to continue in his role next season and build on the foundation he has laid. However, Ouaddou is not sure whether that will be the case.
Speaking during the post-match press conference deep in the bowels of Mbombela Stadium after the 2-0 win over Magesi clinched Pirates the league title – their 10th overall – he revealed that he is undecided about his future due to exhaustion and could follow in the footsteps of Ruud Krol, Julio Leal and Augusto Palacios, who all vacated their positions at the club after winning the treble between 2010 and 2012.
“I am a passionate man, and I am working with love in the job,” Ouaddou said.
“I had the chance to play at the highest level for 17 years, so I am not chasing this job for contracts or money. I also want to do it on my continent, Africa. But you need energy and power.
"You need motivation to do this job. To lead Pirates is not easy – it’s an ecosystem of millions of people.”
Ouaddou has also faced external criticism, something that has been bothering him given the fact that he has worn his heart on his sleeve behind closed doors and on the pitch to ensure they reached the promised land.
“If you add social media – I call it the ‘popular quotes’ – because you are judged by millions of people, it’s a lot,” Ouaddou said.
“They don’t see what you are doing during the work, they don’t know the purpose of your work or the amount of it. Some judge easily. And for that you need energy.
“So, I can’t answer that question. My only wish now is to rest – to be with my family, who are here with me. I need to think about my job.
"You can’t lie to people, this job is very difficult. I need to speak with my honest and fantastic management.”
Indeed, the club’s bosses, led by chairman Irvin Khoza, have rallied behind the former Marumo Gallants coach. Ouaddou admitted that if it were not for them, he would have long left the club, especially after criticism intensified following defeats in his first two league matches against Sekhukhune United and Marumo Gallants this season.
“We’ve got a fantastic management that knows what to achieve and where to take the club. That’s why I am not surprised by what we achieved. It was the work of a unit, and a lot of resources within the club,” Ouaddou said.
“When I lost the first two games, I tendered my resignation but I had the chance to be supported by fantastic people. They didn’t care about that. They said, ‘we interviewed you five times. We listened to you and we know that you are the man for the job’.”
Ouaddou is set to go on holiday before discussing his future with management. But regardless of what happens, he believes he will have left the jersey in a better place than he found it.
“Personally, I can’t comment further about that (the future), but what I can tell you is that Pirates are on the right path,” Ouaddou said. “They are in very good hands with professional people who know football and how to run a football club.
“The fact that I arrived at Orlando Pirates was part of the process. The process didn’t start this season, but a few years ago. They know what they want, who they want to work with and which level they want to reach.”