Abdeslam Ouaddou affirms support for Orlando Pirates local preference
20th February 2026
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Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has defended the club's policy of grooming local talent over signing foreign stars to become more competitive.
Pirates have in recent years prioritised local talent, particularly those from within their own development ranks, which is reflected in their starting line-ups and players who make it into the Bafana Bafana national team.
On the foreign front, Bucs have not gone for the top international payers, and Ouaddou was asked if this is a strategic approach he agrees with.
"The club has had a sporting policy and a scouting department for many years, and you've seen that we have a lot of national players, local-born players, which for me is something I really like," said Ouaddou.
"When a club is promoting young talent, especially when you have so much talent in the country, if you give them the opportunity to shine and maybe to become an even better player to go overseas, I think that is something Orlando Pirates is doing.
"But I think sometimes it can have some limits, of course – you can win some titles locally but now we have seen this kind of model in Europe as well, especially with some clubs opting for local development, if you want to be a little bit more ambitious it can sometimes be a bit difficult.
"When you want to compete for international competitions, so it's a choice that I, as a coach, respect because I decided to accept the challenge by becoming the coach at Orlando Pirates, so I knew it before and I accepted it, and we have to be patient."
In comparison to Sundowns, who spent more than R50 million on Colombian striker Brayan León and have already enjoyed a return of six goals in seven matches, Ouaddou highlighted that The Buccaneers follow a different recruitment process.
"You have to understand as well that we have a young team, young strikers, and I just mentioned that it's important when you develop players with potential, you need to be patient with them," said the Moroccan tactician.
"It's the philosophy of the club, and we accept it – but if you want to perhaps go quicker, you'll spend R10-R20 million and maybe you will have someone efficient from abroad.
"But the philosophy of our club is to promote young talent in the country and I'm sure there is a lot of talent in South Africa, and that's a policy that I respect – but at the same time, you have to be very patient."
