Orlando Pirates News Today: Ouaddou snubbed for Coach of the Season, interest in ‘next Mofokeng’ & more

Orlando Pirates news, covering Morgan Mammila’s surprise Coach of the Season pick and five clubs keeping tabs on a player seen as Relebohile Mofokeng’s replacement.

PSL coach snubs Ouaddou for Coach of the Season

Abdeslam Ouaddou holding the PSL trophy. Photo: Orlando Pirates

Former Chippa United coach Morgan Mammila has named his surprise pick for the PSL Coach of the Season — and it is not one of the four officially nominated candidates.

The PSL has put forward Abdeslam Ouaddou of Orlando Pirates, Miguel Cardoso of Mamelodi Sundowns and former Kaizer Chiefs pair Ben Khalil Youssef and Cedric Kaze as the official nominees for the accolade.

"Give it to Richards Bay’s coaches playing with the youngest team."

Former Chippa United coach Morgan Mammila has named his surprise pick for the Betway Premiership Coach of the Season, naming the former Richards Bay duo of Ronnie Gabriel and Sboniso Gumede as those who have… pic.twitter.com/jRixLspsyy
— iDiski Times (@iDiskiTimes) July 6, 2026

But speaking to iDiski Times, Mammila said both the Pirates and Sundowns coaches were simply expected to succeed given the resources at their disposal. His real admiration lies elsewhere.

Mammila instead reserved his praise for Richards Bay’s coaching duo of Ronnie Gabriel and Sboniso Gumede, who guided the KwaZulu-Natal club to an 11th-place finish while fielding one of the youngest squads in the division.

Huge interest in Pirates’ Mofokeng replacement

The arrival of Kabelo Kgositsile at Orlando Pirates raises an immediate question for the Buccaneers’ technical team: does he stay, or does he go out on loan again?

Kgositsile is now officially a Pirates player and is widely regarded as the man tasked with filling the void left by Relebohile Mofokeng, who has departed for Belgian Pro League side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

Kabelo Kgositsile who is wanted by several clubs from Orlando Pirates.

However, Pirates have not yet determined whether the winger will remain with the first team next season. Several clubs — including Sekhukhune United, Golden Arrows, AmaZulu FC, Siwelele FC, and Chippa United — are reported to be interested in securing him on loan.

A source close to the situation told Kick Off that the delay in any formal announcement about his immediate plans is a signal in itself. “Typically, the club’s delay of his announcement indicates consideration of either loaning or selling the player, and Pirates maintains strong relationships with all five of the clubs interested.”

The precedent is already well established at the club. The Buccaneers previously loaned Tshepo Mashiloane — another former Baroka FC product — to Sekhukhune United, and Babina Noko had already expressed an interest in taking Kgositsile on loan ahead of last season before the player opted to continue his development at Baroka.