Pirates Coach Leaves Fans Speechless After Making Statement About Chiefs

Pirates Coach Ouaddou Sends Powerful Message To Kaizer Chiefs After Soweto Derby Victory

Johannesburg – Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has delivered an unexpected but encouraging message to Kaizer Chiefs supporters after praising Amakhosi’s technical team and insisting that the Soweto giants should not be written off in the Betway Premiership title race.

The Moroccan-French tactician made the remarks following Pirates’ dramatic 2-1 victory over their biggest rivals in the Soweto Derby at FNB Stadium on Saturday, 31 October 2026.

Despite celebrating an important victory for the Buccaneers, Ouaddou showed respect towards Chiefs and their coaching staff, particularly head coach Fernando Da Cruz, who has been working to establish his football philosophy at Naturena.

Speaking after the encounter, the Pirates mentor acknowledged the quality within the Chiefs squad and called for patience as the technical team continues implementing its ideas.

“What I can tell you; seeing the game from outside, this technical team of Kaizer Chiefs are doing a great job, we must let them work, implement their game model. This Chiefs has a good team with young players,” Ouaddou said.

He went further by making it clear that he believes Amakhosi still have a chance of competing for the league championship despite their recent challenges.

“I think they are on the right path, we don’t need to write them out from the title race – this is a big club, this is a big club with big fans, and this technical team is doing a great job.”

The comments are particularly interesting because they came from the coach of Chiefs’ biggest rivals. Ouaddou could easily have focused entirely on Pirates’ victory, but instead chose to recognise the progress he believes is being made at Naturena.

His message also comes at a time when Da Cruz is facing pressure from supporters who want to see more consistent performances and better results.

Chiefs showed promising attacking football during the first half of the derby, creating opportunities that could have put them in a commanding position. However, their inability to convert those chances allowed Pirates to remain in the contest.

The Buccaneers eventually turned the match around after the break. Yanela Mbuthuma scored the opening goal for Pirates before Pule Mmodi restored parity for Amakhosi.

Tshepang Moremi then delivered the decisive moment, scoring in the 55th minute to secure a memorable 2-1 victory for the Sea Robbers.

Ouaddou acknowledged that both teams had their moments, with Chiefs controlling important periods in the first half before Pirates responded strongly after the interval.

For Amakhosi, the immediate priority will be turning promising performances into victories. Having quality young players and a technical team with a clear philosophy is important, but consistency remains essential in a demanding league campaign.

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