Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou is fast learning how fickle and troublesome Mzansi football supporters can really be.
When he took over from Jose Riveiro at the beginning of the season, he faced a baptism of fire and when he lost two matches on the trot in the league, he was castigated for changing and tampering with the well-oiled machinery from the previous season.
The Buccaneers were anchoring the league table and the fans hounded him, called him unsavory nicknames and wanted him out of the Buccaneers dugout. The withdrawal symptoms from Riveiro’s departure was written all over their faces.
But like the former tough-as-teak defender he was when he turned out for Fulham in the English Premiership League, in the French Ligue 1 with Valenciennes FC, Rennes FC and also in Greece, Ouaddou recovered and redeemed himself.
After an exciting change in fortunes, which saw them win the MTN8 for the fourth time in a row, and also scaling up the log table like a resolute Joburg burglar nonchalantly clearing those high walls in the northern suburbia.
Even the way the Moroccan skyscraper chest-traps the balls, or the way he joga-bonito loose balls on the touchline during matches, gets the Pirates die-hard supporters all besotted – the same way Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is so smitten with his assistant Helman Mkhalele.
But this week, Ouaddou saw another face of Mzansi supporters. This is after he criticized his players for playing to the gallery and entertaining the crowd, instead of going for the balls when Magesi FC players were struggling for some breathing air – this is what we call “showboating” in SA parlance.
In these shores that topic easily turns into one of the most difficult, unpleasant and emotional conversations – it can easily lead to punch-ups and screaming matches in no time.
Far-Post quoted Ouaddou, who was evidently furious about his players caressing the ball with their juggling tricks, labelled showboating as “nonsense”.
“I think we started the game the way that we have planned with a high intensity and put pressure on the opponents,” Ouaddou said.
“Now my big disappointment is the last 15 minutes, and it’s the first time I’m addressing this. If we want to be more ambitious, if we want to go forward, we have to stop this nonsense [showboating] and enjoy playing small passes.
“I think if we want to do that, we have to go to the circus. I’m not here to go to the circus; I’m here to improve my players and go forward. We have to stop this nonsense because in the end, we conceded a goal, and the target was not to concede,” he added.
Some local fans were not impressed with his remarks and were all over Ouaddou like a bad acne.
It is clear that no one has advised the poor Moroccan that it’s not clever to call the “vula valas”, “show me your numbers” and “tsamayas” nonsense or a circus – you will be lynched in Mzansi.
I, too, hate showboating, I cannot stand it because I just cannot fathom how grown-arse men can jump around, roll on the turf, crawl on their knees and dance like retards see that as entertainment and progressive football.
Ouaddou is trying to preach that for our football to progress and be a meaningful part of the global football community, we need to dump useless antics
onto the scrapheap.
It is worrying and shows a bit of backslide when local fans say that they are content that our players are staying in the PSL and not moving abroad to go and compete with the best in the world.
What has happened to our boys’ bravado and hunger to go play in the top leagues around the globe?
Perhaps – as the ama2000s say, it’s just too much admin for our agents and players…
