Orlando Pirates coach explains why he wanted to quit after two games

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou admits he was close to quitting the club after just two games before he went on a winning spree that has seen him end their title drought.

Pirates finally ended Mamelodi Sundowns’ dominance when they were crowned for the 10^th time in the club’s history but it was a wait that had spanned 14 years as their last title had been won in 2012.

The Buccaneers won 2-0 against Orbit College on Saturday, thanks to two own goals, but at the start of the season, it did not look like they would be winning the title.

Pirates started the PSL season with a 1-0 defeat at home to Sekhukhune United before losing 2-1 away to Ouaddou’s ex-team Marumo Gallants in August, the results leaving questions over whether the Moroccan coach was the ideal replacement for the highly-popular Jose Riveiro.

Ouaddou was ready to leave after two games

However, they turned it around and won five straight matches without conceding and eight of their nine over that period, the only blip being a 1-1 draw with Sundowns, and they never looked back.

“When I lost these two games, I did not have a choice but to propose my resignation to my management,” Ouaddou revealed to the media after his team’s title triumph. “I am an honest man and I am not chasing contracts or money, I am doing this job for love.”

Abdeslam Ouaddou: "When I lost the opening two games, I had no choice but to propose my resignation…" #OrlandoPirates #GoldenHour #Amstel #SuzukiSA #BetwayPrem #AbsaFootballFridays #AirMobile pic.twitter.com/lIxmItMwG3

— SoccerBeat (@SoccerBeatZA) May 23, 2026

“If people don’t like me, what can I do? I just hand in my resignation, I do not ask for anything, I shake your hand and go back to France. But I have a chance to work with fantastic people, they did not want to hear about that,” he went on.

Ouaddou says the Pirates management turned down his offer to resign, showing great faith in him, something that gave him the drive to mount a serious title challenge.

Pirates management turned down resignation

“They said; ‘No, we interviewed you more than five times, we listened to you and we know exactly that you are the man that can lead us to the promised land. So they supported me, gave me their trust and credit has to be given to them,” Ouaddou further stated.

“Maybe in other clubs, they will chase you after two games but the result today is not the result of Ouaddou, it is the result of the vision of Mpumi [Khoza] and Nkosana [Khoza] and their father [Irvin Khoza]. This is the vision of Pirates, clever people, the title is of the community of Pirates.”

1 – Abdeslam Ouaddou is the first coach in PSL history to win the title having lost the first two games of the season. Before this, no team had finished above third after losing the opening two games. Bouncebackability. pic.twitter.com/J4H5FAbrIW

— OptaJabu (@OptaJabu) May 24, 2026

Under Ouaddou, Pirates started with lifting the MTN8 trophy before adding the Carling Knockout and Carling All Star before they went toe-to-toe with Sundowns for the title, eventually dethroning them by just one point on the final day.

They also set numerous records along the way with goalkeeper Sipho Chaine keeping a record 21 clean sheets while their 69 points is the highest they have ever accumulated.