Ncikazi lauds ex-Fulham defender lauded for his impact at Pirates

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Ncikazi lauds ex-Fulham defender lauded for his impact at Pirates

Orlando Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi has lauded the work ethic of coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, insisting it is the reason why the Soweto giants are delivering consistently.

The Sea Robbers’ only failure this season has been in the CAF Champions League where they narrowly fell against St Eloi Lupopo of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the second preliminary roubd.

Domestically, the Buccaneers are on top of the Premier Soccer League table. They have further won MTN8 and the Carling Knockout in the few months the former Fulham defender has been with the team.

Abdeslam Ouaddou Orlando Pirates

How is Ouaddou getting it right?

“The beautiful thing about Ouaddou is his religion, he is a very spiritual person. You can tell by the way he carries himself and the way he sees and cares for other people,” he opened up to journalists.

“He is Moroccan, even though he grew up in France but he really is proud of his African roots and believes so much in the talent that we have in the continent and in South Africa.

“Most people will be scared to leave their home country to work in another one alone, it’s actually the first time I’m seeing a coach who goes to a club as big as Pirates alone and actually becomes successful,” he added.

MTN8 win shows Ouaddou’s brilliance

“It is difficult to win the MTN8 as a new coach because it’s the first cup of the season especially because Pirates had signed a lot of players. So, he had to integrate the new players very quickly to the squad so we could defend the MTN8,” Ncikazi added.

“We actually haven’t won this cup in a long time, the last time we won it was when Benson Mhlongo, Benny McCarthy were still playing for Pirates but we finally won it.

“There is this good energy that he has, when you are a leader people see your skills through the organisation that you lead that you are doing a great job. He allows everyone in the team to have an opinion and he respects them, which is very important especially for a big club like Orlando Pirates,” he concluded.

On Saturday, Bucs play Carling All Stars hoping to win the Carling Black Label Cup at the Moses Mabhida Stadium

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Willis Sob

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Willis Sob is an experienced journalist who has been in the game since 2009, covering major assignments around the continent.
His hunger for African football is unmatched, always getting the best angles and facts to feed the fans and quench their thirst.

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