Why Coach Ouaddou Secretly Benched Sigomoshe In Soweto Derby

OUADDOU REVEALS WHY HE DROPPED IN-FORM SIGOMOSHE IN SOWETO DERBY AS PIRATES COACH ADMITS TACTICAL MISTAKE

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — 2 NOVEMBER 2026

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has explained his surprising decision to leave in-form defender Bulelani Sigomoshe out of the starting line-up for Saturday’s highly anticipated Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs.

The decision raised eyebrows among Pirates supporters, particularly because Sigomoshe had impressed since arriving from Milford FC and had been making a strong case for a regular starting position.

However, Ouaddou opted for experienced defender Deon Hotto at right-back instead, believing that his experience would be more valuable in a high-pressure encounter against their biggest rivals.

The Moroccan tactician subsequently admitted that his tactical experiment did not produce the desired results, taking responsibility rather than blaming his players.

Speaking after Pirates’ dramatic 2-1 victory over Chiefs at FNB Stadium, Ouaddou explained that the magnitude of the derby influenced his thinking.

“When I speak about this choice, and sometimes you have to accept it, you cannot at this moment blame the players. I had the choice to make. I spoke to you about the magnitude of the game. Today, we are talking about 100,000 people,” Ouaddou explained.

The Pirates coach revealed that Sigomoshe had been performing well in previous matches but felt that exposing the youngster to such an enormous occasion could have been risky.

He believed Hotto’s experience would help contain the opposition’s threat on that side of the pitch.

Ouaddou also praised Sigomoshe’s ability to settle quickly at a major club after making the move from Milford.

However, the decision affected Pirates’ attacking balance, particularly because Hotto did not provide the same forward runs and attacking width expected from a natural right-back.

The coach eventually made changes at half-time, moving Hotto to his more familiar left-back position and introducing Gamphani Lungu.

Ouaddou admitted that his original plan had not worked as expected.

He explained that full-backs play an important role in his tactical system and acknowledged that the team lacked the necessary attacking depth on the right flank.

Despite the questionable selection decision, Pirates managed to secure all three points through goals from Yanela Mbuthuma and Tshepang Moremi.

The victory strengthened their position in the Betway Premiership title race and maintained their unbeaten league start.

For Sigomoshe, the coach’s explanation could be encouraging, considering that Ouaddou openly acknowledged his previous performances.

The big question now is whether the youngster will return to the starting line-up when Pirates continue their league campaign, especially after his coach admitted that experience alone was not enough to make the derby gamble successful.

Source https://x.com/Soccer_Laduma/status/2117161089066557464

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