Ouaddou’s tenure at Pirates hits troubled waters early on

ORLANDO Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou now finds himself under serious early-season scrutiny, having suffered defeats in his first two league outings of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership campaign.

- OBAKENG MELETSE

Following their opening-day 1-0 loss to Sekhukhune United, the Buccaneers suffered another blow with a shocking 2-1 defeat to Marumo Gallants on Tuesday night—widening the cracks in a title-chasing season that's already teetering.

It was the Sea Robbers’ second consecutive loss to Gallants at the Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium, following the 2-0 loss they suffered late last season.

While the league is still in its infancy with plenty of games left, the margin for error is thin at a club of Pirates’ stature—and what was already a hot seat is fast becoming unbearable for the Moroccan coach.

Ouaddou was however pleased with his team’s start but lamented their inability to convert chances, echoing his concerns from the Sekhukhune loss.

“It was a game that we started well, we managed to do exactly what we wanted to do,’ Ouaddou said in his post-match press conference.