Orlando Pirates boss Abdeslam Ouaddou explains Oswin Appollis fitness concerns

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says Oswin Appollis is being substituted early to protect him from a serious injury as the winger continues to regain full fitness after representing Bafana at the World Cup.

Appollis was withdrawn after 65 minutes of Pirates’ 1-0 win over Sekhukhune United in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. Deon Hotto scored the only goal of the match.

The 24-year-old has not completed a full 90 minutes for Pirates this season after returning from the World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada several weeks ago.

Ouaddou said he had no doubts about Appollis’ quality, even though the player was still short of peak fitness.

“Appollis is Appollis; you know him. He’s somebody even if he’s 50% or, let’s say, even 40% [fit]; he can score at any moment,” Ouaddou said.

The coach added that Appollis was not the only Pirates player struggling to reach the required physical condition after the tournament.

“We are not surprised [about Appollis’s lack of full fitness]. He’s not the only player who’s not in the fitness state that we want; all the guys who were at the World Cup, you can see that it’s difficult for them.”

Appollis has been taken off in all five of Pirates’ matches in the league and MTN8 this season. Ouaddou said those decisions were precautionary, with the coach determined to avoid a major injury for one of the club’s key players.

“He’s one of our best players, and when you have a diamond in your house, you have to protect it. We are doing everything to help him [Appollis] to return to good shape.

“He’s improving in each game. Today [Saturday] it was a moment for us to protect him; maybe for him to rest and not to risk any injuries because I’ve been saying this since the beginning, I knew that all these international players will be tired [after the World Cup].

“To protect them I need to anticipate any big injuries; it’s my job to do that, and sometimes the players don’t understand; they are not happy to be substituted, but it’s my duty to protect them.”

Pirates have already suffered significant losses in the aftermath of the World Cup, with Thalente Mbatha and Evidence Makgopa both requiring surgery.

Former Pirates defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Mamelodi Sundowns player Khuliso Mudau are among the other Bafana players to have sustained long-term injuries since the tournament.

Ouaddou said the risk was particularly concerning because of the demands of the campaign ahead.

“We’ve seen other teams that I don’t want to mention, where World Cup players have suffered very big injuries, so we want to avoid that with our international players,” he said.

“We already have two players in Mbatha and Makgopa who need surgeries, so we don’t want the list to grow because this season will be very long.”