From Fulham to Marumo Gallants, Ouaddou has had a fascinating career.
Orlando Pirates sprung a surprise on Monday as they announced Moroccan Abdelsam Ouaddou as their new head coach. Here, Phakaaathi looks at five things you might not know about the 46 year-old new Buccaneers mentor.
Fulham fun in the EPL
Ouaddou had a fine career as a centre back for club and country. Between 2001-2003, he played in the English Premier League for Jean Tigana’s Fulham.
“Without a doubt, the Premier League was the pinnacle of my career. Its unmatched player quality, electrifying fan atmosphere, and impeccable organisation made it an unforgettable experience,” Ouaddou told tribalfootball.com.
Morocco’s captain fantastic at AFCON 2004
Ouaddou captained Morocco at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, and led the team all the way to the final, where they were beaten 2-1 by the tournament hosts.
The central defender scored in a 4-0 group stage win over Benin, and marshalled a defence that conceded just four goals in the whole tournament. He was named in the Guardian’s Team of the Tournament and teammate Youssef Hadji said “He’s been a rock, and he would definitely be in my team of the tournament.”
Troubles in Qatar
Ouaddou moved to Qatar in 2010 and played for Lekhiwa, before moving onto Qatar SC the following season. The former Atlas Lions captain, however, was involved in a dispute with Qatar SC after refusing to agree to terminate his contract.
“When you cut off a man’s electricity, when you confiscate his car, so that he can no longer go to work, and when you stop paying his salary, it is because you want to destroy a human being. I believe that respect for work, respect for the contracts that you sign, is fundamentally a matter of respect for the dignity of man. It’s a question of human rights,” Ouaddou said in an interview with the Times.
In February 2014, Ouaddou won a case he took to Fifa’s Dispute Resolution Chamber, after Qatar SC failed to pay him for six months.
Stellenbosch help spark Ouaddou resignation
Ouaddou retired from playing in January 2013, and moved into the coaching structures at French side AS Nancy. After coaching Nancy’s youth team, his first opportunity in Africa came on the technical staff of the Algerian national team.
He then coached Algerian club side Mouloudia and Benin’s Loto FC, before moving to DRC giants AS Vita in January 2024. Ouaddou’s spell at Vita did not last long, however, as he resigned in September 2024, following a CAF Confederation Cup loss to Steve Barker’s Stellenbosch.
Stellenbosch beat Vita 2-0 in the first leg of a preliminary qualifying round, and Ouaddou announced afterwards that he was leaving, citing the club’s poor organisational skills.
“Next week, I think they will have a very tough game but without me because it was my last game here. As a professional coach I cannot continue in these conditions to come before the game, not 24 hours before, 14 hours before,” Ouaddou told journalists.
“With maybe four or five players missed in that team because of passport, it’s a very difficult job for me. So it was my last game, I wish the best for my team next week because I think they can achieve it.
“I am going back to France, because I live there. It’s finished for me, I cannot work in those conditions.”
Gallants success ends with a squabble
Ouaddou’s first foray into coaching in the Premier Soccer League came in February of this year, when he was appointed head coach by Marumo Gallants.
He only coached Gallants for 12 matches, but he won five of those, including beating Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs in the Betway Premiership. Having achieved his task of saving Gallants from relegation – they finished a respectable 10th in the table – many expected Ouaddou to stay, but he suddenly announced his resignation.
“I obviously remain open to any proposal for an ambitious project and determined to take on a new challenge,” said Ouaddou in what proved a prescient statement.
Gallants denied any knowledge of his resignation.
“The Club can confirm that it has not received any formal communication or notice of resignation from Coach Ouaddou,” said Gallants.
