Ouaddou issues fierce challenge to Mbokazi after cup-winning farewell

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has offered remarkable insight into the high-stakes narrative surrounding the Carling Knockout final, revealing the direct, uncompromising mandate he gave captain Mbekezeli Mbokazi ahead of his final match for the club.

The 20-year-old centre-back, who is departing for Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire FC, led the Buccaneers to a 1-0 extra-time victory over Marumo Gallants on Saturday night—a perfect, trophy-laden curtain call to his time in South Africa.

Speaking in the post-match briefing, Ouaddou framed Mbokazi’s move not as an end, but as a critical transition within the global “ecosystem of football,” drawing on his own experience moving from French club Nancy to the Premier League with Fulham.

The Mandate to Conquer For Mbokazi

Ouaddou disclosed the simple instruction he issued to the defender, placing the success of the team above the emotion of his departure:

“I told him before the last game, ‘you need to put the team at the first place, and to win this trophy and nobody can speak because you win the trophy.’ And the guy won the trophy.”

The Moroccan coach then pivoted to a stern challenge regarding Mbokazi’s future in the United States, stressing that the transfer must not diminish his professional ambition.

“Normally when football players go to the USA, we wish he’s going to improve, and never forget Orlando Pirates, never forget national team,” Ouaddou asserted. “Not because you go to the US, you need to stop improving and to make effort. Think of Orlando Pirates, think of national team, that’s very important.”

The message is clear: the MLS is a stepping stone, and Mbokazi’s commitment to the national team must remain absolute. With the Carling Knockout officially marking his last appearance before his transfer, the young defender leaves his boyhood club having fulfilled his coach’s winning prophecy.