Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says the technical team are protecting their “diamond” in attacking midfielder Oswin Appollis which is why he hasn’t played much for the club this season.
Appollis, 25, alongside former teammate Relebohile Mofokeng enjoyed a perfect first season with the Buccaneers, helping them win a treble and earning himself numerous nominations at the PSL end of season awards last campaign.
He also cemented his place in the senior national team and was part of Bafana Bafana’s historic 2026 FIFA World Cup outing.
The departure of Mofokeng to Europe suggested that the former Polokwane City man would have a more influential role in his side this term. However, though he has featured in almost all of Pirates matches thus far, he’s completed a full 90 minutes just twice in the CAF Champions League preliminary rounds.
Addressing the media ahead of the Carling Knockout quarter-final against Sekhukhune United, Ouaddou was asked by IDiski Times what it would take for Appollis to take a more influential role. The coach explained how fatigued Appollis is and how they don’t want to risk burning him out.
“Appollis is the master class,” said Ouaddou.
“Appollis is one of our best players. Appollis is one of the best players in South Africa. He is full of quality, but Appollis we don’t have to forget is a human, he is not a robot.
“So Appollis played a fantastic season for his first season in Pirates. He comes from Polokwane, where you know a lot of things have changed for him, and he managed to handle all these things. He did a wonderful, a fantastic season.
“Straight away, he went to the World Cup, and it’s not only him, many players in Europe, many players in other clubs. He played the games. He gave everything for his country. So it’s a guy who is not cheating. So we can understand one moment that sometimes a player can maybe have this fatigue.
“I was a player during six years in a row I was making the qualification of the World Cup with Morocco. I was making the qualification of the AFCON. After when I go to Europe, I play the Europa League, and after I played the league, during six years in a row. And I can understand, you know.
“So we are protecting our diamond. We are protecting our diamond because we have many games, and we know that if we protect him, we give him this time we know that he will be important for us. We will benefit from this protection that we give him.
“But soon you are going to see Appollis. But for me, it’s just somebody that I love, and I don’t want to burn him.”