Abdeslam Ouaddou reacts to Lebone Seema maiden Bafana call-up

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has reacted to Lebone Seema's first call-up to the South Africa national team ahead of the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers later this month.

The 23-year-old centre-half is one of the new faces in the squad named by new Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane for the clashes against Guinea and Eritrea, respectively, and an international friendly match against Egypt.

He has been a mainstay at the heart of the Bucs defence since signing from fellow Betway Premiership side TS Galaxy at the beginning of last season, where he walked away with the Defender of the Season accolade.

Despite his exploits, the player was omitted from the Bafana squad that etched their name in history by reaching the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was their maiden knockout phase berth at the global tournament.

Seema has now been rewarded with his first call-up, having already made 11 appearances across all competitions this season, chipping in with two goals and as many assists, much to the delight of Ouaddou, who believes the defender is the future of South Africa.

“First of all, I really congratulate him and all the other members of the team who have been called to the national team. I thank as well Pitso for calling him, it means that he was following his work since last season,” said the Pirates boss.

"He's the future of South Africa. We have such talent in that position in South Africa. I hope this call-up will give him confidence to continue to work and grow.

The Bucs mentor says he is not puzzled that Seema made Mosimane's final squad for the crucial qualifiers, raving about the centre-back's conduct behind the scenes, and insists he is not the finished article despite his meteoric rise.

“But I'm not surprised, he's somebody that has the good mentality, professional, coachable - it's very important for me because to improve you need to be coachable and you need to be able to understand and to listen,” Ouaddou added.

"He starts to know me now, sometimes I can be hard with him and last season I was really hard on him but for his own good, for his performances. We spoke a lot, we worked a lot about the quality of his passes, the alternation of short passes, long passes, the duels.

"But he has a lot of march of progression. I'm really happy and our technical staff and the club are very happy about this call-up. I hope he's going to continue and to bring us this experience as well from the national team, but again, thanks to Pitso for seeing his qualities.

Pirates, meanwhile, swing back to action with a Betway Premiership clash against Marumo Gallants at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday, as they look to narrow the gap on log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who have played two games more.

Hlayisani Magoro

Editorfr, en

Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

Related teams and leagues

Orlando Pirates

South Africa