On Abdeslam Ouaddou

BackpageMiddendorp questions Ouaddou's leadershipThe fallout from the 1-1 draw between the two Soweto giants has intensified after Ernst Middendorp took to social media to express his disapproval of Abdeslam Ouaddou’s conduct. Abdeslam Ouaddou has emerged this Saturday as one of the stories drawing attention in South Africa.

Key facts

• BackpageMiddendorp questions Ouaddou's leadershipThe fallout from the 1-1 draw between the two Soweto giants has intensified after Ernst Middendorp took to social media to express his disapproval of Abdeslam Ouaddou’s conduct.
• The fallout from the 1-1 draw between the two Soweto giants has intensified after Ernst Middendorp took to social media to express his disapproval of Abdeslam Ouaddou’s conduct.
• In what is their penultimate home fixture in the ongoing campaign, Abdeslam Ouaddou’s troops face their biggest foes in a bid to strengthen an already solid home record after hitting double figures under the wins column while only dropping eight out of an available 39 points.
• A former Amakhosi boss has launched a scathing critique of the Buccaneers tactician following the recent Soweto derby.
• Ernst Middendorp suggested that the controversial post-match remarks were "below the standard" of elite leadership expected at the highest level of South African football.

What we know

Going deeper, the fallout from the 1-1 draw between the two Soweto giants has intensified after Ernst Middendorp took to social media to express his disapproval of Abdeslam Ouaddou’s conduct.

On the substance, In what is their penultimate home fixture in the ongoing campaign, Abdeslam Ouaddou’s troops face their biggest foes in a bid to strengthen an already solid home record after hitting double figures under the wins column while only dropping eight out of an available 39 points.

Beyond the headlines, a former Amakhosi boss has launched a scathing critique of the Buccaneers tactician following the recent Soweto derby.

More precisely, Ernst Middendorp suggested that the controversial post-match remarks were "below the standard" of elite leadership expected at the highest level of South African football.

It is worth noting that the controversy stems from Ouaddou's scathing assessment of the match, where he claimed his players were targeted by aggressive tackling.

By the numbers

At this stage, For Kaizer Chiefs, they move onto a fixture that could define all three top clubs' season as they face Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versveld on May 6 in a clash that could have a significant say in the title race.

On a related note, Pirates will be hoping for a favour from their Soweto rivals after their tough away trip to face Stellenbosch on Saturday May 5.

Going deeper, as it stands, Sundowns top the league with 61 points from 26 matches, Pirates are two points behind on 59 and Chiefs are a distant third on 47 points but still in the final CAF Confederation Cup qualification place.

On the substance, the point earned on their visit to Rise and Shine was their 46th so far in a season where they have picked up 13 wins and seven stalemates, while proving difficult to beat throughout with only four defeats recorded.

The wider context

On a related note, because (of) what I have seen, I don't know if I can say I have seen a football game or karate today (Sunday), and I don't want to disrespect other sports but today was not a football game," Ouaddou said in his original post-match analysis.

Going deeper, the country’s focus falls on FNB Stadium this weekend as Orlando Pirates host Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs in a high-stakes Betway Premiership showdown on Sunday afternoon.

On the substance, they have fared rather well on the road, emerging on the winning side six times in 10 fixtures while only losing once, with three of their 21 away points collected courtesy of stalemates.

Beyond the headlines, Games involving the Buccaneers have not been short of fireworks in recent weeks and they have claimed at least a point in each of their last eight league outings, including last Saturday’s 3-0 routing of the visiting AmaZulu at Orlando Amstel Arena.

More precisely, while there has been very little to choose between the rivals in the last 10 Premiership derbies, recent momentum has firmly been with Pirates who added a convincing 3-0 win in their away derby earlier in the season.

The bottom line

• The fallout from the 1-1 draw between the two Soweto giants has intensified after Ernst Middendorp took to social media to express his disapproval of Abdeslam Ouaddou’s conduct.
• A former Amakhosi boss has launched a scathing critique of the Buccaneers tactician following the recent Soweto derby.
• The controversy stems from Ouaddou's scathing assessment of the match, where he claimed his players were targeted by aggressive tackling.