IT’S BUNKUM: PIRATES WON IT ON THE PITCH, AND THE REST IS NOISE

By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief_  

The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.  

AZANIAFROCOMEDIA – The Catalyst of Impact

Orlando Pirates are champions of South Africa.  

Let me say that again, slowly, so it sinks in for everyone trying to muddy the water with whispers, screenshots, and WhatsApp voice notes: Orlando Pirates are the 2025-26 Betway Premiership champions.

They won the league. They won the MTN8. They won the Carling Knockout. They completed a domestic treble for the first time in the modern era. And they did it by being better than everyone else over 30 games, 9 months, and a final day that had the entire country on edge.

So when I hear people peddling conspiracy theories about how we got here, my answer is simple: it’s absolute bunkum.

No, I’m the one who’s saying that. I’m writing an opinion piece. Pirates never said that. I am the one who’s saying that as the editor in chief. That Pirates won and we are the champions we deserve that. Whoever comes with these conspiracy theories, that’s absolute bunkum.

Let’s deal with the facts before the noise drowns them out.

This treble almost never happened because the man who delivered it was ready to walk away after 180 minutes of football.

Abdeslam Ouaddou took over from José Riveiro in July with a reputation for tactical discipline and a no-nonsense attitude. He lasted two games before he hit the wall. A 1-0 home defeat to Sekhukhune United. Then a 2-1 loss away to his former club Marumo Gallants. The vultures circled immediately. “Wrong appointment.” “Not PSL ready.” “Riveiro would never have lost this.”

Ouaddou heard it all. And he responded the way an honest man would.

“When I lost these two games, I did not have a choice but to propose my resignation to my management,” he told the media on Saturday. “I am an honest man and I am not chasing contracts or money, I am doing this job for love.”

That’s not the line of a mercenary. That’s the line of a coach who measures himself against his own standards, not the contract in his pocket. If the fans didn’t want him, he was prepared to shake hands and go back to France. 

Thank God the Khoza family didn’t let him.

“They said: ‘No, we interviewed you more than five times, we listened to you and we know exactly that you are the man that can lead us to the promised land.’ So they supported me, gave me their trust and credit has to be given to them,” Ouaddou said.

That decision changed the season. 

What followed was a run of form that reminded everyone why Pirates are called the People’s Team. Five wins in a row without conceding. Eight wins in nine games. A 1-1 draw with Sundowns that felt like a statement. Sipho Chaine set a PSL record with 21 clean sheets. The team finished on 69 points, the highest tally in the club’s history. 

On the final day, with the league on a knife edge, Pirates did what champions do. They beat Orbit College 2-0 and waited for the result from elsewhere. When it came, Soweto exploded. 

Why the “bunkum” matters

Now, about Orbit College. 

Yes, both goals were own goals. Yes, the game finished 2-0. And yes, in the age of TikTok and X, that’s all it takes for a narrative to be born. Within hours, the word “fixed” was trending. Clips were spliced. Motives were invented. 

Let me be clear: this is bunkum. 

Orbit College were fighting to stay in PSL and not yet relegated to the ABC Motsepe League before kickoff. They had to save their PSL status and play with pride. To suggest that a professional football club would throw a game, in front of a national broadcast audience is disrespectful.

It’s insulting to the players, the coaches, and the thousands of people who work in South African football.

This is the playbook of bad losers. When your team doesn’t win, you don’t look at where you fell short. You look for someone to blame. You invent a story that makes defeat easier to swallow. “We didn’t lose because they were better. We lost because it was rigged.”

It’s jealousy. It’s hatred. It’s the negative thought process of supporters of other teams who cannot accept that for once, it wasn’t Sundowns lifting the trophy.

And it has to stop.

What people don’t understand is how heavy it is to coach Orlando Pirates.

“I work with passion, I work with love, and it’s difficult to lead such a big team like Orlando Pirates,” Ouaddou said. “It was a very difficult season, and I’m tired, I’m very, very tired.”

He’s right. Pirates are not like any other club in this country. The expectation is instant. The scrutiny is relentless. Every decision is debated on radio, on TV, on social media, in taxis, in taverns. You win, and you’re a genius. You lose two games, and you’re finished. 

Ouaddou walked into that pressure cooker and came out with three trophies. That doesn’t happen by accident. It doesn’t happen because of a phone call. It happens because the players bought into a system, because the technical team worked 18-hour days, because the management backed their man when it would have been easier to sack him.

“Maybe in other clubs, they will chase you after two games but the result today is not the result of Ouaddou, it is the result of the vision of Mpumi, Nkosana and their father Irvin Khoza,” he said. “This is the vision of Pirates, clever people, the title is of the community of Pirates.”

That’s the part the conspiracy theorists miss. This was never about one man. It was about a club deciding what it wanted to be again. And for 9 months, it looked like that club.

I’ve been in this game long enough to know that nothing unites South African football fans like tearing down whoever is on top. When Sundowns were winning everything, they were accused of buying the league. When Chiefs have a good cup run, people look for excuses. Now it’s Pirates’ turn.

But here’s the difference: we don’t have to play along.

As editor in chief, I refuse to give oxygen to stories that have no basis in fact. I refuse to let the narrative of this season be written by people who weren’t in the stadium, weren’t in the dressing room, and weren’t in the meetings where this team was built.

Pirates won the league because they scored more points than anyone else. They won the MTN8 because they beat their opponents over 90 minutes. They won the Carling Knockout for the same reason. That’s how football works. 

If you don’t like it, support your team better. Invest in your academy. Hire a better coach. Build a squad that can go toe-toe for 30 games. Don’t sit behind a keyboard and call it fixed.

Ouaddou says he’s drained. “I need energy, I need power. Without energy, it will be difficult to continue,” he admitted. 

That’s honest too. Coaching Pirates at this level takes a toll. The club now has a decision to make: do they fight to keep him, rest him, reinforce him? 

Whatever happens, the foundation is there. The treble proves that the model works when you give it time.

The community of Pirates has its club back. The kids in Orlando East, in Soweto, in Limpopo, in the Eastern Cape, have something to believe in again.

And to those still pushing the conspiracy theories: keep it to yourself. 

This season belongs to the players who ran until they couldn’t. To the fans who traveled to Bloemfontein on a Tuesday night. To the chairman who said “no” when it was easier to say “you’re fired.”

It belongs to Orlando Pirates. 

And calling it anything else? 

That’s bunkum. 

The Azanian stands for truth. Fearless. Unfiltered. If you have evidence of wrongdoing, bring it forward through the proper channels. Until then, respect the game, respect the champions, and respect the facts.

Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief, Founder & Publisher of The Azanian, repping the Buccaneers. celebrating Orlando Pirates’ Treble Champions 2025/26 season in style. From the press box to the Ghost Nation, it’s always about excellence, discipline, and pride. Once a Buccaneer, Always a Buccaneer. 

Triumphant & Factual. Betway Premiership 2025/26 Champions.Orlando Pirates lift the trophy after a season of grit, goals, and glory. The Buccaneers reign supreme!