Ouaddou set to join elite Orlando Pirates coaching group with 50th game

Abdeslam Ouaddou will become one of a select group of Orlando Pirates coaches to reach 50 matches in charge when his side face Sekhukhune United in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday.

The match at the Orlando Amstel Arena will mark the Moroccan Frenchman’s half-century at the helm across all competitions since taking over at the beginning of the 2025/26 season.

Ouaddou has already enjoyed a hugely successful opening campaign with Pirates, guiding the club to the Betway Premiership title, the MTN8 and the Carling KnockOut Cup.

His league-winning season also produced the club’s best figures in several key categories. Pirates finished with a record 69 points, won 21 matches and averaged 2.3 points per game. They scored 58 goals, conceded only 12 and ended with a goal difference of plus 46.

The coach has overseen 49 matches so far, winning 35 of them. That total includes victories decided by a penalty shootout, such as last season’s MTN8 semi-final against Mamelodi Sundowns.

His record represents a 71% winning rate, a level of consistency that would stand out at clubs anywhere in the world.

Ouaddou has been recorded as the losing coach in six matches, with two of those defeats coming in penalty shootouts against Saint Eloi Lupopo and Casric Stars.

Only four of the 49 matches have ended in defeats during open play. Those losses came against Saint Eloi Lupopo, Mamelodi Sundowns, Sekhukhune United and Gallants.

Two of those setbacks arrived in Ouaddou’s first three matches at the club, a difficult start that gave his early critics reason to question his appointment. Since then, his results have transformed the mood around the team.

Eight of his matches have ended in draws.

Reaching 50 games is a significant milestone at Pirates, where coaches have rarely remained in the post for both a full year and half a century of matches.

Since the calendar moved from 1999 to 2000, only Jose Riveiro, Rudi Krol, Josef Zinnbauer, Milutin Sredojevic during his second spell, Eric Tinkler, Roger de Sa and Kosta Papic had previously managed more than 50 matches at the club.

Ouaddou’s arrival in that group follows a long list of coaches whose spells at Pirates did not extend to the same mark. They include Ted Dumitru, Ronald Mkandawire, Shuaibu Amodu, Gordon Igesund, Augusto Palacios, who had four separate spells, Jean-Yves Kerjean, Roy Barreto, Tebogo Moloi and Milutin Sredojevic during his first spell.

The list also includes Bibey Mutombo, Owen Da Gama, Julio Leal, Vladimir Vermezovic, Muhsin Ertugral, Kjell Jonevret, Rulani Mokwena and the coaching partnership of Fadlu Davids and Mandla Ncikazi.

A victory or draw against Sekhukhune United would allow Ouaddou to reach the landmark with an already decorated record, having delivered three major trophies and a record-breaking league campaign in his first season at Orlando Pirates.