Ouaddou says Pirates are carefully managing ‘diamond’ Appollis

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says the club are taking a cautious approach with Oswin Appollis to ensure the winger can return to his best form.

The 25-year-old joined Pirates from Polokwane City before the 2025/26 campaign after an outstanding season, raising expectations that he would become one of the club’s leading attacking players.

However, Appollis’ consistency has been questioned this season, particularly after Relebohile Mofokeng’s departure increased the pressure on him to provide creativity.

Ouaddou was asked how Appollis could rediscover the influence he showed during his first season with the Buccaneers at the Carling Knockout Cup media day at the PSL offices in Parktown, Johannesburg, on Thursday.

The Moroccan coach stressed the player’s quality but said his workload, including his international commitments for Bafana Bafana, had to be considered.

“Look, you know, Appollis is a masterclass. Appollis is one of our best players. Appollis is one of the best players in South Africa. He’s full of quality,” he said.

“But we must not forget that Appollis is human. He’s not a robot. Appollis played a fantastic season in his first season at Pirates. He came from Polokwane City, where a lot of things have changed for him, and he managed to handle all these things. He did a wonderful, fantastic season.

“Straight away, he went to the World Cup. And it’s not only him, many players in Europe, many players in other clubs. He played the games, he gave everything for his country. So, he’s a guy who is not cheating, so we can understand that sometimes a player can maybe have this fatigue.”

Ouaddou drew on his own experience to explain why he understood the demands placed on players who combine club football with international competition.

“I was a player. During six years in a row, I was making the qualification of the World Cup with Morocco, I was making the AFCON qualification, and after, when I went to Europe, I played the Europa League and the league during six years in a row. So, I can understand.”

Pirates are competing in several competitions, and Ouaddou said the club’s priority was to protect Appollis rather than expose him to unnecessary demands.

“So, we are protecting our diamond. We are protecting our diamond because we have many games, and we know that if we protect him, we give him this time, we know that he will be important for us. We will benefit from this protection that we give him.

“But soon, you are going to see Appollis back. For me, it’s just somebody that I love, and I don’t want to burn him.”

Appollis has shown signs of regaining his form since returning from injury. He came on in the second half of last weekend’s Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs and appeared to score, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Although the decision denied him a possible key moment in the match, his appearance provided another indication of what he can offer Pirates in attack.

With the Buccaneers pursuing silverware on multiple fronts, Ouaddou will hope his careful handling of Appollis produces benefits as the season continues.