Abdeslam Ouaddou cuations Orlando Pirates against 'selling the bear skin' in Betway Premiership title race

Abdeslam Ouaddou is content with his team’s and supporters’ ambition to win the Betway Premiership this season, but he has warned them against not putting their money where their mouth is.

Pirates have been the team to beat in domestic football this season. They finished the first half of the term top of the log standings, while also winning the two trophies that were up for grabs – the MTN8 and the Carling Knockout.

Coming on the back of that success, the team has been heavily tipped to finally knock serial champions Mamelodi Sundowns off their perch and win the league for the first time since the 2011/12 season.

Speaking during the team’s pre-match press conference ahead of their second league game after the restart against Magesi at Orlando Stadium on Saturday (6pm kick-off), following the dropping of points in a 0-0 draw with Sekhukhune United, Pirates captain Nkosinathi Sibisi reiterated their ambition to go for a clean sweep this season.

“When you are representing such a big institution, you don’t have to hide the fact that you are going for everything,” Sibisi said. “I think in our very first press conference this season, we said we wanted everything that’s up for grabs.

“Unfortunately, we fell short in the Champions League, but we managed to secure the other two trophies. There are still two more trophies – not only the championship, but the Nedbank Cup as well.”

Ouaddou is pleased to be tipped to challenge for the title this season and surpass his predecessors’ three successive runners-up finishes, but he has warned everyone not to count their chickens before they hatch, though everyone will have a chance to help the team.

“This league is one of the best and toughest in Africa. I can guarantee you that,” Ouaddou said. “The race is like a marathon. You have to be consistent with every passing game.

“We have depth and good players. Everyone will get a chance to contribute. We want to win, and at the end of the league (season), we’ll count the points and see what happened.

“There’s a saying in French: ‘Don’t sell the bear skin before you’ve killed the bear.’ Step by step, we are working hard.”