Recently departed Marumo Gallants head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has attracted interest from a European club, FARPost has learnt.
Ouaddou joined Bahlabane Ba Ntwa at the beginning of March, with the mandate to keep the club in the Betway Premiership.
The former AS Vita coach oversaw 12 matches across all competitions at Gallants, winning five, drawing four and losing three. He guided them to a 10th-place finish with 32 points after 28 league matches.
Last Saturday, Ouaddou publicly confirmed his exit from the Bloemfontein-based outfit, bringing his short spell with the club to an end. Despite Ouaddou’s public announcement, Gallants swiftly issued a statement denying they had received any official resignation, dismissing his declaration as “unverified reports.”
Ouaddou directly responded, revealing that the club’s chairman, Abram Sello, had “shocked” him by not “financially honouring the option” on his contract for the next two seasons.
He argued that since the club breached the contract by not meeting its financial commitments, he was not required to submit a resignation letter.
OUADDOU ON BELGIAN CLUB’S RADAR
While Gallants continues to insist he pay a R1 million clause before his departure, the 46-year-old coach is now, according to FARPost sources, a target for an unnamed club in the Belgian Challenger Pro League, as he aims to embark on a new chapter in his career.
With the 2025/26 season approaching, the Belgian second-tier side is on the lookout for a new head coach to oversee their pre-season preparations.
One of the standout memories from Ouaddou’s tenure at Gallants includes beating both the Soweto giants, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, in the Betway Premiership.
Apart from helping Gallants from being swallowed by the Motsepe Foundation Championship, Ouaddou also led them to the Nedbank Cup semi-final, where they were eliminated by the Buccaneers.
Ouaddou has previously mentored AS Vita, Loto FC, Mouloudia, Algeria [as assistant coach] and AS Nancy [Youth Coach].
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