Orlando Pirates boss Abdeslam Ouaddou urges players to find inner drive for MTN8 title defence

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says the club’s bid for further success must be powered by an inner desire to represent the badge and supporters, rather than external pressure or the prospect of adding more trophies.

The Buccaneers begin their 2026/27 campaign in the MTN8 semi-finals this weekend, when they face Sekhukhune United in the first leg.

Pirates are defending the trophy after establishing a record in the competition and are aiming to win the MTN8 for a fifth consecutive season. That challenge comes after a hugely successful previous campaign in which the Soweto club completed a domestic treble.

Expectations remain high at Orlando Pirates, but Ouaddou believes the strongest motivation comes from within the players themselves.

“When you are playing for such a big club, every game you must win them, there’s a lot of expectation from the fans, from the club, you have to be motivated to win that kind of game, more than that you need to have some arrogance, pride to play for yourself,” he said.

“I call it intrinsic motivation, there are factors that motivate you that come from outside, I don’t think it’s the best motivation, but when you find sources from yourself, inside to find the good words, motivation to go forward every day, it’s the best motivation.”

Ouaddou said that feeling is rooted in an awareness of what it means to wear the Orlando Pirates shirt and the effort supporters make to watch the team.

“For me, the best motivation is when you wake up and you know you are playing for this badge, when you know millions of people wake up sometimes at 4 or 5 to go to work for a salary to pay his ticket, because he wants to watch the game,” he explained.

“We have to think of these millions of people, to bring them the happiness, the joy – and this is intrinsic motivation that makes you work, train, be in the best shape because you are playing for a fantastic club, fantastic fans.”

The Pirates manager has also been impressed by the scale of the support the club receives on its travels. He said away fixtures can feel like home matches because of the number of supporters following the team.

“Everywhere we go the stadiums are packed, and it’s the first time I see when I play away, we have more fans than the opponents, so we need to play for these people, they don’t come like that – they wait for you at the airports, signing,” Ouaddou said.

“When it’s raining, snowing, they are here – when I play football – I play for these people as well.”

That connection between the squad and its supporters will be tested immediately as Pirates begin their latest defence of the MTN8 title against Sekhukhune United.

The club’s remarkable dominance of the competition has created another demanding target for the new campaign, but Ouaddou’s message is that the players must draw their determination from the responsibility of representing Orlando Pirates and the millions who support them.