During Orlando Pirates' 1-1 pre-season draw against Pafos FC on Sunday, head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou made a notable call by entrusting the captain's armband to Mbekezeli Mbokazi.
This decision comes as the Buccaneers continue their two-week training camp in Marbella, Spain, preparing for the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season.
The friendly against the Cypriot champions saw a mix of new and established players, with Pirates fighting back after an early concession.
Relebohile Mofokeng found the equalizer late in the first half, set up by a precise pass from Oswin Appollis. This result followed a 2-0 loss to Bolton Wanderers FC earlier in their Spanish tour.
Initially, Nkosinathi Sibisi captained the side against Pafos. However, upon his second-half substitution, the armband was passed to Mbokazi. This is particularly significant considering the 19-year-old only broke into the senior team in March 2025 in a league clash with Chippa United.
Despite his relative inexperience at the senior level, the KwaZulu-Natal-born defender rapidly became indispensable under then-head coach Jose Riveiro, featuring in 19 matches last season and contributing a goal and an assist.
With the retirement of Innocent Maela and no new permanent captain yet announced, Ouaddou's explanation for Mbokazi's captaincy is telling. The coach revealed that Mbokazi was chosen because he is anticipated to play a major role for the Sea Robbers in the forthcoming season, underscoring his growing influence within the squad.
‘I BELIEVE HE’S A CAPTAIN’
“Mbokazi is one of the big men of this team, he’s South African and he is proud of what he’s doing,” Ouaddou said on SuperSport TV.
“He’s someone we believe that he’s a captain, and we’re taking it step by step. We want to give him more game time because he will be one of the main men for us this season.
“So we’re trying to give him that responsibility, and he was fantastic, he had a great match, and he needs to continue like this.”
