Orlando Pirates fans are currently walking on eggshells after a season that promised much but ended with a bitter taste of early elimination from the CAF Champions League. While the team has been busy chasing a domestic treble for the first time in over a decade, their continental form has been anything but championship material.
Thapelo Liau, a former midfielder for the Soweto giants, isn't holding back on his assessment of where things are going wrong. According to Liau, the current Buccaneers setup lacks the necessary experience to survive the physical and tactical demands of Africa’s premier club competition.
“Liau stated that they must reinforce the team by mixing young players with experienced ones. The CAF Champions League, he emphasized, needs experience, and they have to add that to their current lineup. You can’t go to the Champions League with boys that are so young,” Liau said.
The blunt reality is that the squad, as it stands, couldn't clear the preliminary hurdles set by Saint Eloi Lupopo earlier this year. This latest failure follows a troubling pattern; just a season prior, in 2023/24, the team similarly bowed out at the preliminary stage, showing that consistency on the road is becoming a major headache for the club.
Liau points to the squad construction of rivals Mamelodi Sundowns as the gold standard for success. He argues that Masandawana understands how to balance youthful energy with the hardened grit of veterans, a recipe that has kept them relevant in the latter stages of African football tournaments for years. For the Pirates, he suggests that finding a reliable, high-calibre striker and reinforcing the defensive line should be top priorities in the upcoming transfer window.
The pressure is mounting because the club's continental history is quite thin. The Buccaneers have only ever reached the CAF Champions League final twice in their existence. Their most recent significant run was a semi-final appearance where they were knocked out by Pyramids, a result that felt like a missed opportunity given the talent available at the time.
The situation behind the scenes is getting messy, too. There's a lot of talk surrounding the future of head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, and if he leaves, the club will need to steady the ship quickly before the next campaign kicks off. The uncertainty is not helped by the looming threat of losing star power. Talented attackers like Relebohile Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis are reportedly being eyed by other clubs, and their potential departure would leave a massive hole in the attacking third.
For a team that prides itself on being one of the biggest in South Africa, losing these players would be a massive blow to their ambitions. The club needs to act fast if they want to avoid another early exit next season. If they don't bring in players who have actually played at this level before, the dream of hoisting that trophy might stay just that—a dream.
It's a tough pill to swallow for a club of this size, but Liau’s words echo what many supporters have been grumbling about in the stands and on social media. They are tired of watching their team struggle in places like DR Congo when they know the quality should be higher. The management's decision will dictate how the 2026/27 season plays out, and it remains to be seen whether they will decide to open the chequebook or stick with the current crop.