No Orlando, no problems for Orlando Pirates as Ouaddou embraces stadium switch for Mamelodi Sundowns clash
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The massive first v second clash between Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns has been moved to the FNB Stadium this Wednesday. Bucs Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou is ready for the "fantastic spectacle" in front of a capacity crowd. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
With first place meeting second on Wednesday night in Soweto, Orlando Pirates will stage their blockbuster league encounter against Mamelodi Sundowns away from their traditional home, opting for the grand scale of FNB Stadium instead of the more intimate Orlando Amstel Arena (kick-off 7.30pm).
For Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, the shift in venue is largely symbolic rather than tactical. The Moroccan tactician played down any perceived home-ground disadvantage, choosing instead to focus on the purity of the contest.
“For me, a field is a field for as long as the grass is green and it respects the norm of Fifa,” Ouaddou said on Monday.
Pirates are accustomed to the tight confines and emotional closeness of Orlando Stadium, but Ouaddou believes scale can work in their favour.
“If we have a good and wide pitch, we are at home everywhere in South Africa,” he added. “For me it will be fantastic game for the fans.”
That sentiment extended beyond tactics to the broader responsibility of the league. Ouaddou welcomed the move as a statement decision, one that prioritises supporters and the spectacle of South African football’s fiercest rivalry.
“It’s a good thing that we’re going to play at that fantastic stadium so we give lovers of the game a chance to attend that game,” he said, praising both clubs and organisers.
The players, he believes, will thrive under the bright lights.
“As a professional football player, you want to play in front of a lot of people,” Ouaddou noted. “It’s better to play in front of 90 000 people than 10 000.”
Pirates captain Nkosinathi Sibisi echoed that grounded mindset, admitting their preference for familiarity but accepting the reality.
“Us as players, we would have loved to play at the Amstel Arena but at the end of the day, it’s 11 against 11 wherever we play,” Sibisi said.
In a title race defined by margins, the venue may change — but the stakes, intensity and ambition remain exactly the same.
* Smiso Msomi is Independent Media's senior football reporter and host of the Monday Review on our YouTube channel The Clutch