Orlando Pirates defender Kamogelo Sebelebele ruled out of Champions League tie

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has confirmed that Kamogelo Sebelebele will miss the club’s upcoming CAF Champions League fixture after suffering an injury in the MTN8 final.

The 24-year-old was withdrawn shortly before half-time in Saturday’s final, which Pirates lost 2-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Sebelebele was subsequently left out of the squad for Tuesday evening’s Betway Premiership match against TS Galaxy. Pirates won that game 3-0 at the Orlando Amstel Arena, but Ouaddou said the versatile player would be unavailable for the continental assignment.

“Look, he is still being assessed by the medical department. I still hope that it’s not so bad, but we’ll have some more news, I think, soon,” Ouaddou told journalists after the victory.

“But I think for the Champions League, definitely I cannot use him. But we’ll see for the next games if we can have him or not. We hope it’s not so bad.”

The injury leaves Pirates with another concern at right-back, a position that has caused selection difficulties throughout the season.

With Sebelebele absent, new signing Bulelani Sigomoshe was handed his official debut against TS Galaxy. The newcomer made an immediate contribution, supplying the assist for Tshepang Moremi’s goal in the 3-0 victory.

Sigomoshe’s performance gives Ouaddou another option, although the Pirates coach now faces a demanding period with limited time to assess his defensive resources.

The Soweto club’s next assignment is a CAF Champions League second qualification round tie against Namibia’s African Stars on Saturday. Pirates will then face Milford FC in the Carling Knockout.

Those fixtures could be followed only days later by the sold-out Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs on October 31.

The sequence of matches means Ouaddou will hope Sebelebele’s injury is not serious, although the coach has already confirmed that the defender will not be available for the meeting with African Stars. Pirates will need to manage their defensive options across the three fixtures before the derby.