Pirates’ Ouaddou praises ‘African legend’ Hotto

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has described Deon Hotto as an “African legend” as the 35-year-old Namibian prepares to take on his former side African Stars in the Caf Champions League.

Pirates take on Namibia’s best

The Namibian champions, who Hotto represented between 2012 and 2014, will face Pirates at the Botswana National Stadium on Saturday in the first leg of their final Champions League qualifier.

“When you watch the longevity of Hotto and the way he is playing and the commitment and passion and professionalism, it says a lot about the personality of Namibian players,” Ouaddou told reporters ahead of Saturday’s game.

“For a coach like me, an ex-player, I am watching behaviour in training a lot, how players are training, how they are managing their careers and their bodies. We have a captain (Nkosinathi) Sibisi also with experience, we have (Makhehleni) Makhaula, and Thapelo (Xoki). If you are able to play for such a long time it means you are smart and clever about how you manage your body.

‘This kind of player is a model on the continent’

“If I have to go a little deep about Hotto, he is an African legend, not only a legend for Southern Africa and of course for Pirates. For me this kind of player is a model on the continent, with the number of trophies he has won for this club, the number of games he has played, his metrics.

“For us it is important he is with us, it can give a very good example for the young players and other Namibian players, to show that when you are professional and committed anything is possible.”

Pirates will be desperate to avoid a repeat of last season, when they were knocked out of the competition at this stage by the DRC’s FC St-Eloi Lupopo. Ouadodu’s side went on to win the Betway Premiership for the first time in 14 years, but now they need to show their prowess on the continental stage.