Deon Hotto Shows Sympathy for Tito Maswanganyi After Dressing Room Clash with Coach Ouaddou

Deon Hotto Shows Sympathy for Tito Maswanganyi After Dressing Room Clash with Coach Ouaddou

Orlando Pirates utility player Deon Hotto has expressed sympathy for teammate Patrick Maswanganyi following the midfielder’s heated dressing room exchange with head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.

The incident took place during Pirates’ 3–0 league victory over Marumo Gallants in February at the Orlando Amstel Arena. Footage of the explosive confrontation was later made public by the club in Part 1 of the BucsCamp episode, which aired on SuperSport and the Pirates TV YouTube channel on Sunday.

The 2025/26 Betway Premiership champions were leading Ouaddou’s former side 2–0 at halftime. Maswanganyi, known as Tito, was one of the goal scorers but had also missed a chance to add a third before the break.

In the episode, Hotto was seen among those holding Ouaddou back as the coach appeared to move toward Maswanganyi during the heated verbal exchange.

According to Hotto, while he understood the coach’s perspective, Tito also made a valid point about why he couldn’t execute what the coach wanted in that specific moment.

“The tension, it was very high,” said Hotto. “It was something else in the changing room. When the coach came, he pointed out to Tito that he’s too relaxed on the ball, that he’s not releasing the ball too fast. But for us as players, we could understand where the coach is sitting and viewing the match.

“Also, because the coach was at Marumo Gallants, now he’s at Pirates, his ambition is he wants to kill. He wants to kill Marumo Gallants, he wants the goals, he wants those three points. But us players also understand that sometimes things will never go your way.

“Sometimes the team is strong, we can’t break them. Tito said, ‘Coach, I can’t release the ball quick because this team is sitting deep. I need time on the ball to break them.’ And for me, I felt it was true because Marumo Gallants were sitting back, and we can’t just play the ball through to who? The guys are waiting for us there. So we need someone on the ball, and the only person we have to break that team is Tito.”

Hotto added that he believes the coach genuinely cares for Tito, while also acknowledging that his teammate is a sensitive player who often needs reassurance.

“That’s why I’m saying a lot of people don’t see the full picture—they see the start but not the end product,” the winger continued.

“The coach, to be honest, loves Tito too much. He loves him, but you have to understand—Tito is someone else. He’s… how can I put this? Tito is just Tito. Like coach José Riveiro would say, Tito is just Tito.

“You need to encourage him a bit—‘Hey my boy, come on, let’s go, don’t worry.’ He has a small heart, man. You need to be next to him and tell him, ‘Tito, don’t stress, it’s gone. Let’s go back and play.’ He’s that type of guy.”