Orlando Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi has lauded coach Abdeslam Ouaddou for his humility, good character and his belief in the expertise of the team’s local technical panel.
Ncikazi said Ouaddou never viewed him and the rest of the technical team as “backstabbers” when he arrived and always emphasised his belief in “SA expertise”, saying he saw no need to come with his own foreign technical team.
“Football and sports reflect the society that we come from,” Ncikazi said during the club’s Friday visit to a clinic in Diepkloof, Soweto, to raise awareness about diabetes on World Diabetes Day.
I appreciate him for recognising the people who were already at the club before he arrived; that says a lot about him.
— Mandla Ncikazi, Orlando Pirates assistant coach
“One thing that I’ve picked up from him is that he’s a great human being. He understands that he is an African, and he respects African people. There is his statement where he said he’d use the expertise that he found at the club. Very few coaches do that; we don’t trust each other ... we are also scared to be stabbed in the back. Only a confident and a good human being can do that.
“I appreciate him for recognising the people who were already at the club before he arrived; that says a lot about him. Normally, it doesn’t happen that way,” Ncikazi said.
Ouaddou has forged a strong bond with Ncikazi, having made it a habit to kiss his deputy in the dugout when things are going well for them.
“The relationship I have with him just explains him. He says, ‘I don’t kiss anybody; I only kiss people that are close to me.’ That is a sign that whatever we do together [is great],” said Ncikazi, who’s nine years older than Ouaddou.
(Men kiss each other on the cheek in many countries, particularly in North Africa, Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Central and South America. It is common among men who know each other well and can be a sign of warmth and connection.)
The 47-year-old Ouaddou, who played for top European clubs like Fulham in England and Greek giants Olympiacos, among others, joined Pirates at the start of the current season.
Pirates’ next fixture is in the league against Chippa United at Orlando Stadium next Tuesday (7.30pm).
Sowetan
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