Orlando Pirates News Today: Khoza’s message, the Buccaneers to lose Ouaddou? And more…

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Orlando Pirates News Today: Khoza’s message, the Buccaneers to lose Ouaddou? And more…
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Latest news about Orlando Pirates in the last 24 hours, including Irvin Khoza’s message after league triumph, Bucs might lose Abdeslam Ouaddou, and more.

Khoza message to Bucs faithful

Orlando Pirates chairman Dr. Irvin Khoza has sent a message of gratitude and celebration to the club’s fans after their Betway Premiership title.

“By its very nature, football is history-making. Team after team, match after match, season after season, the game creates a record. What was once carried mainly by memory, media and the stories of the supporters is now preserved, retrieved, debated and tested through search engines and the internet. The past is no longer left behind. It is consumed with the present, informing the voice of supporters who watch, search, remember, compare and speak back to the game,” he said as quoted by Bucs media team.

“It was not lost on me that, in a season in which we won a Treble and the Diski Challenge to boot, one of the dominant themes was: “after a 14-year drought.” In that period, Orlando Pirates won five MTN8 titles, three Nedbank Cups and one Carling Knockout, reached the CAF Champions League final, reached two CAF Confederation Cup finals, and returned to the CAF Champions League semi-finals. The consistency of the performance in the last four seasons demonstrates a noteworthy comeback: three PSL league runner-up finishes, three MTN8 titles, two Nedbank Cups, one Carling Knockout, a return to the CAF Champions League semi-finals, and finally the league title itself. The “14-year drought” theme clearly speaks to the premier status of the PSL league title.

Orlando Pirates chairman DrIrvin Khoza
Irvin Khoza, Orlando Pirates

“If there is one lesson football has taught me, it is that you cannot dry today’s washing with yesterday’s sun. History is a foundation, not a substitute for present work. It gives us memory, pride and responsibility, but it does not run, tackle, think, sacrifice or win for us. Each season asks its own questions. Each team must answer for its own time. When we work only for ourselves, effort has limits. When we work for something bigger than ourselves, effort becomes duty, sacrifice becomes honour, and success is shared.

The primary responsibility of a football club is to present a winning team and to win big. Everything else exists in service of that objective. The “everything else” part of Orlando Pirates, largely behind the scenes and invisible to the public, enables the overall success of the team. A successful season is the work of an institution aligned around performance — on the field, around the field, in the offices, in the market, locally and abroad. I know that, to most of you, this is beyond a job. The success of this well-supported team is living proof of your dedication to an endeavour bigger than self. I am grateful for your selflessness.”

Ouaddou refuses to make unrealistic promises – I’m not a magician

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has responded to questions regarding whether he can deliver CAF Champions League glory to the club.

“Look, I think I’m not a magician, but what we can promise with people, like we did this season, we are going to prepare and sweat for that. We will try and make them happy,” he told the media.

“The players, the management, the technical director knows the work we do every day, the trust that we put in players, our competencies and our qualities.

Abdeslam Ouaddou, Orlando Pirates
Abdeslam Ouaddou, Orlando Pirates – Image:: Pirates

“I always believed that the guys would apply [what we do in training] until the last game, last minute, and last second. And its football is not an exact science,” Ouaddou concluded.

Pirates to lose Ouaddou?

Fresh off guiding Orlando Pirates to their first league title in 14 years, head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou is already attracting interest from different quarters following his comments about possibly stepping away from the club.

“There are plenty of offers and enquiries for the coach after what he achieved this season. There is interest from different places, and now it will depend on what the coach wants going forward,” Soccer Laduma reported.

Abdeslam Ouaddou, Orlando Pirates
Abdeslam Ouaddou, Orlando Pirates

“Ouaddou not only delivered the league title but also completed a memorable domestic treble with Pirates this season, further enhancing his growing reputation on the continent,” they added.

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Willis Sob

Author

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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