Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has addressed the impact of fan reactions on players, explaining how negative feedback from the stands can affect their performance and mindset during matches.
Pirates are entering a defining stretch of the season and will be counting on strong backing from the stands.
Locked in a tight title race with Mamelodi Sundowns, who dropped points during the week, the Buccaneers have a real opportunity to build momentum in their push for a first league crown since the 2011/12 campaign.
Following Sundowns’ 1-1 draw against Stellenbosch FC, the Buccaneers are top of the Betway Premiership table with 58 points. The Brazilians are on 57, although they have a game in hand.
Having finished as runners-up in each of the last three seasons under Jose Riveiro, Pirates know there is little margin for error. That context adds extra weight to the upcoming Soweto Derby, set for Sunday at FNB Stadium [15:00]. A victory could significantly strengthen their title credentials at a critical point in the campaign.
But their crosstown rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, who were humiliated 3-0 in the first leg, will not make it easy. Amakhosi head into the clash on the back of a six-match unbeaten run and remain highly motivated, with a potential third-place finish still within reach, setting the stage for a derby charged with both pride and high stakes.
OUADDOU’S MESSAGE TO PIRATES FANS
“My message is just to thank them [fans], thank them first of all, since the beginning of this season. I know there is an important moment they are looking for. I just ask them to be behind us wherever we go in South Africa.
“Our fans are always with us, so we’re expecting the same during that game. And I know that the stadium will be packed and to be 100% with us because you know, for my players, when they feel the support, when they feel the love of our supporters, our fans, you know, they can feel it on the pitch, and they feel free to compete.
“But on the other hand, when they feel pressure, and they, for example, they boo them, you know, we are human beings, you know, we have a brain, we have a mind, you know, they get stressed, so we definitely need them to reach our target.
“There are still five games. I said at the beginning and in the middle of the season that our team are warriors. My players are fighting, have a very strong fighting spirit, and we are going to fight until the last game, the last minute and the last second on the pitch, whatever happened, you know.”
The Moroccan mentor revealed that the “physio room was empty” for the first time this season. He has the full squad at his disposal ahead of the crucial tie. “It’s the first time that I have seen the physio room empty. So, it means that everybody is ready to play.”
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