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Abdeslam Ouaddou, Orlando PiratesBackpage
Khothatso Leballo

Former Orlando Pirates star defends Abdeslam Ouaddou for Nkosinathi Sibisi-Lebone Seema decision and explains why the Buccaneers will upset FC Saint-Eloi Lupopo in CAF Champions League home leg

The Buccaneers arrived in Lubumbashi with an impressive record of clean sheets in eight consecutive matches. But the Moroccan coach decided to tweak things at the back, and it backfired after what some might describe as trying to fix what was not broken. That left the Soweto giants with an insurmountable task of overturning the heavy defeat they suffered in the DR Congo.

  • Nkosinathi Sibisi, Orlando PiratesBackpage

    Rude awakening for Pirates

    Orlando Pirates were stunned 3-0 by FC Saint-Eloi Lupopo in a CAF Champions League preliminary round, first leg match away at Frederic Kibassa Maliba Stadium on Sunday.

    It was a match in which coach Abdeslam Ouaddou decided to drop centre-back Lebone Seema for Nkosinathi Sibisi to partner Mbekezeli Mbokazi at the heart of defence, despite having arrived in DR Congo with an impressive record of eight clean sheets on the trot.

    But Pirates got a rude awakening, breached three times, and former Buccaneers left-back Innocent Chikoya defends the coach's decision.

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  • Abdeslam Ouaddou, Orlando PiratesBackpage

    'Ouaddou did not make an error'

    Chikoya exonerates Ouaddou for his decision to change things.
    “We cannot say the coach made an error. All the players are contracted to the club," Chikoya told Sowetan Live. 

    "He believes in the players he has, so he will use them. We can’t blame the coach since we conceded three goals.”

  • Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Orlando Pirates, October 2025Backpage

    Can Pirates comeback after the big loss

    What might have influenced Ouaddou to go with Mbokazi and Sibisi was watching some solid defending as the two kept clean sheets in Bafana Bafana's crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

    Chikoya believes that all is not lost for Pirates and they can overturn the 3-0 loss they suffered in the first leg.

    “Football is a very crazy game. They [Lupopo] managed to score three goals in their backyard. We can score three or four at home,” added the former Zimbabwe international.

    “They will have supporters on their backs. You know Orlando is always packed, and we will use that to our advantage. We’ve got to score three goals.

    “We tend to say they will come and defend, but you cannot do that the whole game. I think they will come to look for a goal to close the game. 

     “But if you are coming to defend and Pirates get one, the complexion of the game changes. There will be panic; the supporters will be pushing hard."

  • Lebone Seema of Orlando PiratesBackpagepix

    What comes next?

    It would be interesting to see the central defence partnership Ouaddou will opt for in the second leg at Orlando Stadium.

    He might decide to stick to the Mbokazi-Sibisi combination or bring back Seema for the team captain.