Abdeslam Ouaddou Hails Orlando Pirates Stars After Victory Over Carling All Stars
- Abdeslam Ouaddou has come out to praise Orlando Pirates players after leading them to victory against Carling All-Stars
- The Soweto giants became the first Premier Soccer League club in history to win both the Carling Knockout Cup and the Carling Black Label titles
- The former Marumo Gallants mentor has now won three trophies since being named as Joser Riveiro's replacement at the beginning of the season
Orlando Pirates manager Abdeslam Ouaddou praised his key performers following his team’s 2-0 win over the Carling All-Stars on Saturday, December 13, 2025.
Source: Getty Images
The victory was secured thanks to substitutes Sifiso Luthuli and Boitumelo Radiopane, who both found the back of the net at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday, December 13, 2025.
The Moroccan tactician joined the Sea Robbers in the summer after leaving Marumo Gallants and has guided them to their third title this season with the win over Carling All-Stars. They had previously won the Carling Knockout Cup and the MTN8 trophy earlier this season.
The former Fulham midfielder is also looking forward to ending Orlando Pirates' long wait for a league title, having last won the Betway Premiership in 2012.
Ouaddou hails Pirates' stars
The Orlando Pirates coach faced the media during the post-match interview and shared his thoughts on winning his third title as the club's coach, despite the absence of nine top players who have been called up to represent Bafana Bafana at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in his home country, Morocco.
Ouaddou told SuperSport TV after the match that, since the beginning of the season, Orlando Pirates' players have been doing a lot for the club, reflecting the philosophy we wanted to implement this season.
The former Marumo Gallants head coach added that the team doesn’t have any substitutes, only impact players, and once again, the players who came on in the match changed the overall dynamic.
Source: Twitter
He praised the fantastic goals and noted that, although it was not easy against All-Stars in the first half and building from the back was difficult, the team remained patient. Now that the team has developed its football, it has found space and the ability to move quickly into the box to score, which is fantastic for the players, and he congratulated them on their performance.
Here is what social media users are saying about Ouaddou's performance since joining Orlando Pirates after winning the Carling Black Label Cup.
Zukisani Gxabalashe commented:
"We are taking everything this season, if it's a cup, it belongs to Orlando Pirates...whether it's a cup of tea or coffee, bring it on."
Amandla Mfihlo reacted:
"We almost cried when Jose Riveiro left ...never thought we'd find a better coach than him... but fortunately we found his upgrade...him leaving was a blessing in disguise."
Thanár Tlhogi Kebothlale shared:
"This Pirates team is very dangerous under Coach Oaddou 🤞. It's like he came to Pirates knowing exactly what was missing. Now, he is just proving himself to the world that he is a master tactician ❤️ Seeing a coach who wants to win everything is happiness on its own. Sundowns fans are still in denial, but this coach is taking the league as well."
Thabiso Ben said:
"He didn't turn Pirates into a winning machine; he found a well-oiled team that was already winning games. They finished in the semis in the last CAF Champions League, so credit must be given to coach Riveiro, but Ouaddou is doing a good job, and his effort can't go unnoticed."
Itz A Sotho Ting added:
"We beat them one by one, then they decided to combine their best squad out of 15 teams we smashed them. We are the Sea Robbers, we are unstoppable, we are taking the league ☠️☠️☠️."
Ouaddou shares what he told Mbokazi
Briefly News also reported that Ouaddou shared what he told Mbekelezi Mbokazi ahead of Orlando Pirates' clash with Marumo Gallants in the Carling Knockout Cup final.
The Moroccan tactician gave solid advice to the South African centre back as he was playing his last match for Orlando Pirates before leaving for the Major League Soccer.
Source: Briefly News
