Golden Arrows head coach Mandla Ncikazi has chosen silence over straight answers when asked about his relationship with Abdeslam Ouaddou, the man he worked with at Orlando Pirates.

Speaking after his side’s Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final exit to Mamelodi Sundowns, Ncikazi was pressed on whether tensions between the two played a role in his recent departure from Pirates. Instead of confirming or denying anything, he delivered a short but pointed reply that has since caught attention.

“Every house has got a toilet,” Ncikazi said. “As a man, you don’t have a responsibility of telling every family that there’s challenges in your family.”

He made it clear that discussing internal matters of a former employer is something he simply will not do. According to the coach, speaking badly about a previous club would disrespect both that organisation and his current one. He described himself as a man who protects the environments he works in, no matter what happened behind the scenes.

“Me I’m just a man. Even if there was a problem, you are not going to know, because I’m a man,” he added. “I’ve got a responsibility to protect the environment that I work for.”

Ncikazi left Orlando Pirates last month after the club completed a successful treble-winning season. Speculation quickly followed that differences with Ouaddou had contributed to his exit. Ouaddou has already dismissed those claims, saying people were trying to create controversy where none existed. Ncikazi, however, has refused to join the conversation.

Since returning to Golden Arrows, he has overseen three matches. The side lost to AmaZulu in the league, beat Chippa United in the opening round of the Carling Knockout, and then fell to Sundowns in the quarter-finals. Throughout this period he has stuck to the same line: coaches should handle club matters privately and focus on the job in front of them.

“In every club that I’ve worked for, there are issues, but I don’t have a responsibility to publicly tell,” Ncikazi said. “As a coach, you are a CEO of the company, so protect the environment.”

His comments suggest he has no intention of revisiting the topic in future interviews. For now, both men have chosen to keep their side of the story to themselves, leaving supporters and the media to draw their own conclusions about what really happened at Orlando Pirates.

Source: https://x.com/iDiskiTimes/status/2117914847086330354?a=yjO4p8j0zXIqG2NodEM&s=19