Marumo Gallants coach Abdeslam Ouaddou confident of relegation survival in South African top-flight

Head coach of Marumo Gallants Abdeslam Ouaddou remains optimistic his team will successfully avoid relegation at the conclusion of the South African Premier League campaign.

Ouaddou, 46, made an immediate impact after replacing Dan Malesela and Molefi Ntseki at the club last week.

He spearheaded the side’s 2-0 victory over Orlando Pirates in his first game in charge at the Free State Stadium.

Speaking to the media, the former Moroccan international defender reiterated his desire to escape relegation with the club at the end of the season.

“The game was not easy, as you all saw,” Ouaddou admitted.

“Pirates is a big team with top players. The danger can come from everywhere, so the challenge was to stop them.”

“You cannot concede 30 goals and expect to survive. That’s what I told my players—something must change. The first step was giving them confidence, then working on defensive structure and compactness.”

He added, “Even if you score three goals, if you concede four, you get zero points. The foundation for survival is solid defense and a fighting mentality.”