Abdeslam Ouaddou happy with Moremi’s Bafana Bafana call up

By Velile Mnyandu
3rd October 2025

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says Tshepang Moremi’s call-up to the senior Bafana Bafana squad doesn’t come as a surprise to him.

Moremi was announced as part of the 23-man Bafana Bafana squad to play in the final and crucial last two FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

It is the first time that Moremi has been selected to the A squad of Broos and becomes one of the eight players from Pirates to be selected for the next two matches against Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

Ouaddou says this is a well-deserved call-up for one of their most in-form players.

"I'm not surprised, I always say that for people who believe in the work, daily work, they can have a gift some days after but you always have to believe in your qualities,” Ouaddou said.

“You have to work hard, you have to be very professional in how you manage your life because I always say to my players that they are professional and they have to make sacrifices.

“We cannot live like normal people, we are playing every three days, we have to work hard to be careful about our lifestyle. So, I'm not surprised, I'm happy for him and I'm happy for all my players who've been called to the national team."

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Ouaddou says he’s impressed with the turnaround he’s seeing at Siwelele FC and is vindicated now that they have returned to their winning ways. Pirates had played against them just last week and managed a slender 1-0 win.

Ahead of their clash in the Carling Knockout at Orlando Stadium this weekend, he expects a tough clash from them.

"And the event, an important event for the clubs in South Africa. I think for us it's an important competition, we take all the competitions and the games very seriously against a very strong opponent,” he added.

“I said during the PSL game just after we have played against Siwelele that this team will definitely not stay in that position and they showed it the next week. So, we are expecting a very, very strong opposition, very very organised opposition and for us, we will put all our ambition, our ambition to try to go to the next stage."