Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has explained what makes Sipho Chaine key to the Buccaneers, describing the Bafana Bafana goalkeeper as a key voice in the spine of his team. Ouaddou spoke after the Bucs edged the Namibian champions African Stars at the National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana.
A second-half strike from Tshepang Moremi gave Pirates an advantage in the first leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round tie. They welcome the Windhoek side to Johannesburg on Friday as they look to secure passage to the group stages of the CAF interclub premier competition.
After watching Chaine keep a clean sheet, the Moroccan mentor said his importance goes beyond making saves, emphasising the leadership and organisation he expects from his number one goalkeeper.
“You see, in my game model, in the way that I’m coaching, I have always given importance to the whole team, of course, to the players,” said Ouaddou in his post-match press conference. “But you always need a spine, and the spine is the goalkeeper, the pair of central defenders, the six, the ten and the nine. And I need to have a leader in every line.
“It’s important to have a well-oiled machine. You need to have strategic leaders in every line.”
The Pirates mentor explained that players such as Chaine, Deon Hotto and Nkosinathi Sibisi must understand the team’s approach well enough to reinforce instructions during matches.
“Because sometimes when you play in front of 60,000 people, the players cannot hear you. Of course, we work during the week on the principle that we want to see on the pitch.”
WHY OUADDOU WANTS CHAINE TO BE VOCAL
The former defender also made it clear that leadership sometimes requires a firmer approach. He added that the expectation was for Chaine to challenge teammates when their concentration lapses.
“And sometimes you have to be hard, you know, not have to be a nice boy, you know, to wake up people who are sleeping. Sometimes you need to shout. You need to wake them up.”
Chaine has been influential for the Buccaneers on both the domestic and international stages. He recorded nine clean sheets in 14 CAF Champions League appearances during the 2024/25 fairytale run under Jose Riveiro, topping the clean-sheet rankings for that campaign.
The reigning Goalkeeper of the Season followed that with 21 clean sheets in 30 Betway Premiership appearances during the 2025/26 season, playing every minute of Pirates’ league campaign.
Meanwhile, Ouaddou said that leaving Gaborone with both a victory and a clean sheet was a satisfying outcome.
“For me, I am a coach who loves goals and hates conceding them. I hate that as an ex-defender,” he said.
“So, today it was a good result. We scored one goal. We came back with a clean sheet, so I’m very happy.”
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