‘Tito’ could have gone to World Cup if he listened: Pirates coach Ouaddou

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou hasn’t hidden that his relationship with outgoing midfielder Patrick “Tito” Maswanganyi was difficult last season, suggesting the 28-year-old fan favourite would have gone to the recent World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada with Bafana Bafana if he was coachable.

Pirates have reached an agreement with Bahraini Premier League side Al-Khaldiya SC for Maswanganyi’s transfer.

“I have huge respect for this player [Maswanganyi], the titles he won. He’s a fantastic player, a gifted player. Every coach would want to have him on their team,” Ouaddou said after Tuesday’s 2-0 league win over Sekhukhune United at Orlando Amstel Arena.

“We had difficult moments last season. It took a bit of time for him to understand what I expected of him. In training I always said the job doesn’t start in the game; it starts in training at the start of the week.”

Ouaddou praised Tito’s impact at the start of the current season, though he believes the midfielder would have made the World Cup squad had he listened to him last term.

“You all saw his potential at the start of the season, it was very important, he was very important,” the Bucs mentor said. “I think if he listened to me last season, he would have been at the World Cup, definitely.”

Tito joined Pirates from the now-defunct SuperSport United in July 2023. The lad from Thembisa ended up playing 120 games for the Soweto giant, scoring 28 goals with 21 assists over three seasons, in which he won several titles, including the league last term.

Meanwhile, Boitumelo Radiopane and Oswin Appollis were on target for Bucs against Sekhukhune . The two sides meet again in the second leg of the MTN8 semifinals at the same venue on Saturday, with Pirates in a favourable position to advance to the final after winning the first leg 1-0 in Polokwane last Saturday.