“The president (Relebohile Mofokeng) is very important for us,” said Ouaddou.
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has heaped praise on Relebohile Mofokeng, saying the revived ‘President yama2K’ could be the difference-maker in the Betway Premiership title race.
Mofokeng scored the winner for the Buccaneers in extra-time during the Carling Knockout final against Marumo Gallants at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium this past weekend.
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Overall, the 21-year-old forward has recorded one goal and two assists in his last five appearances since coming back from an injury.
Ouaddou believes a fit Mofokeng can help his team win the league title this season.
Pirates are currently top the league standings with 28 points from 12 matches. They lead second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns by two points and have a game in hand over them.
“The president (Relebohile Mofokeng) is very important for us,” said Ouaddou.
“I love his style, his personality. He’s someone who lives football. He dreams of football 24 hours a day. When he’s tired, you can see it, but when he’s fit, even at 70%, he changes games.”
‘Mofokeng is not a robot’
Mofokeng missed three games in October and early November and that raised speculation that the Bafana Bafana winger could be on his way out of Pirates. Ouaddou blames fatigue for the youngster’s dip in form, adding that Mofokeng is not a robot, he does get tired.
“I cannot say too much about the beginning of the season. For me, when you play many games, qualification for the competition in the national team, I think he did not have a lot of time for rest. He only had 10 days or two weeks and the season before he played, maybe 40 or 45 games.
“So, he is not a robot. I can understand that he was a bit tired, we gave him some rest, and he came back with very good fitness.”
“You can see in the last three, four matches he was part of the success of the team, he got some fantastic assists. You can see the difference between a fit Rele Mofokeng and a tired Rele Mofokeng.
“If he reaches 100%, the president is someone who can make us win the league,” concluded Ouaddou.
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The Carling Knockout final was the Buccaneers’ last match for the year 2025 as the Premier Soccer League has taken a break due to the AFCON.
They will resume their league campaign with a clash against Sekhukhune United on 24 January.
