Ouaddou right to demand Pirates’ World Cup stars refocus, says Ramokadi

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou was justified in challenging his players who represented Bafana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to club legend Bruce Ramokadi.

Ouaddou voiced his frustration after Pirates were held to a 1-1 draw by AmaZulu in the Betway Premiership last week, calling on his international players to adjust quickly to the demands of domestic football.

“My worry is when am I going to recover the international players. We need quickly for our international players to land on our planet. The USA is finished and we need them quickly to be part of the team spirit here,” Ouaddou told the media after the game.

“If we wait until December for them to get fit, it will be too late. We really need them to come to the party.”

The Soweto club responded with a 3-0 victory over Chippa United, but none of the Pirates players who had featured for Bafana at the World Cup found the net. Ghampani Lungu, Lebone Seema and Daniel Msendami scored for the Buccaneers.

Ramokadi believes Ouaddou’s comments were prompted by something the coach had observed, either in training or in the players’ approach, and said the Moroccan was right to address the issue openly.

“Clearly there is something that he saw, he can’t just complain like that out of the blue, clearly there’s something he has seen maybe from training. He has to address it that the players have to return, because the World Cup is over, we’re playing local football now,” Ramokadi told KickOff.

The former Pirates striker said players returning from a major international tournament could need time to change their mindset, particularly when attention turns back to club responsibilities.

“Even when players move overseas (after the World Cup), they need to adapt and focus on what they have to do. It’s all in the mind, nothing much. The coach can see it.”

Ramokadi also suggested that transfer speculation could contribute to a player becoming detached from the team. He said World Cup involvement might lead some individuals to believe they deserve preferential treatment or a regular place in the starting line-up.

“It does happen (that players may be detached), you see with these rumours about transfers, that you’re supposed to go there and now we’re from the World Cup, maybe it’s in the mind, you think you’re better than others just because you’re from the World Cup and you deserve to play always,” the former Bucs striker continued.

With competition for places at Pirates intense, Ramokadi encouraged Ouaddou to rotate his squad and give other players the chance to challenge the established names.

“He just needs to give others a chance and see if the (regulars who went to the World Cup) will wake-up, maybe one or two games. There’s too much quality at Pirates,” Ramokadi added.

Ouaddou’s remarks came as Pirates attempted to reintegrate their Bafana internationals into the club season, with the coach warning that delays in reaching full fitness and focus could have consequences later in the campaign.