{
  "id": 837391,
  "title": "Pirates' coach Abdeslam Ouaddou urges international stars to refocus after draw with AmaZulu in the league",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/pirates-coach-abdeslam-ouaddou-urges-international-stars-to-refocus",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-14T04:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/sport/soccer/psl/2026-08-14-pirates-coach-abdeslam-ouaddou-urges-international-stars-to-refocus-after-draw-with-amazulu-in-the-league/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Orlando Pirates' coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou, has urged his international players to refocus after the team's 1-1 draw with AmaZulu in the Betway Premiership. The victory over Milford at home earlier in the season had set the stage for a strong title defence, but the match against AmaZulu proved to be a setback. The draw came after Tshepang Moremi's goal for Pirates and a penalty from Thando Ngwenya for AmaZulu. The match took place with several key players missing, including Thalente Mbatha and Evidence Makgopa, who were injured after their World Cup with Bafana. Ouaddou emphasized the importance of the points in the league and urged his international players to quickly adapt to club football and contribute to the team's ambitions. While praising Nkosinathi Sibisi and Sipho Chaine, Ouaddou expressed concerns about the slower-than-expected reintegration of Moremi, Kamogelo Sebelele, and Oswin Appollis into the team. He acknowledged that the rapid transition between the World Cup and the start of the season has affected the international players' ability to perform at their best.",
  "summary": "Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou called on his returned Bafana Bafana international stars to refocus quickly after dropping points in a 1-1 draw against AmaZul",
  "key_points": [
    "Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou urges international players to refocus after 1-1 draw with AmaZulu.",
    "Tshepang Moremi's goal and Thando Ngwenya's penalty resulted in the stalemate.",
    "Injury concerns raised about Moremi, Sebelele, and Appollis' slow reintegration."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The draw with AmaZulu has heightened the need for Orlando Pirates' international players to quickly regain their form and focus to support the team's title ambitions.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}