Newly-appointed Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has directly confronted the skepticism surrounding his arrival at the club, where he replaces the successful Jose Riveiro.
Pirates' announcement last week of the French-Moroccan's two-year deal came as a major surprise, especially since the position was heavily linked with Rulani Mokwena who had talks with the club.
Ouaddou joins Pirates after successfully saving Marumo Gallants from relegation last season, where he led them to five wins, four draws, and three losses in 12 matches.
However, his appointment was immediately met with criticism due to his apparent lack of previous trophy wins, a stark contrast to Riveiro's impressive five trophies in a three-season spell.
WHAT OUADDOU SAID ABOUT HIS DOUBTERS
Responding to his doubters, Ouaddou stated, “People can say, ‘This coach, what did he win? He's not experienced, and how can he coach such a big club?' But I believe more in competency than experience.”
He elaborated, “You can have someone who has been coaching for the past 20 years but didn’t win nothing. But on the other hand, you can have a young coach with competency but he’s starving, he wants to win… So, I’m a bit confused when it comes to experience and competency.”
Despite the focus on his own credentials, the former Marumo Gallants mentor acknowledged the significant challenge ahead and also took the opportunity to applaud the commendable work done by Jose Riveiro.
“This is a big challenge, the club is well organised,” Ouaddou said, adding, “We have to congratulate the previous coach Riveiro as well who’s a fantastic man who did a great job… We have arrived at the end of the five-year project. I’m ready now.”
