Bucs get it together


Drought over as Royal succumb
Orlando Pirates finally came good by edging out Thanda Royal Zulu 1-0 in a hard-fought Telkom Knockout first-round clash in Durban yesterday. Click here for more





SAFA v SABC over Bafana v soapie

Broadcaster and Hack to meet
The South African Football Association will engage SABC Sport on November 22 to discuss various aspects around the coverage of Bafana Bafana and other national teams.
This was revealed by Raymond Hack, Safa’s chief executive, yesterday from Berlin after finalising an international friendly with Germany’s national team. Click here for more

CLICK HERE FOR OUR SOCCERZONE

Chelsea romp to 5-0 win

London – Chelsea romped to a 5-0 win at Middlesbrough, Manchester United thumped West Bromwich Albion 4-0 and Liverpool and Arsenal produced stirring fightbacks to claim home wins over Wigan Athletic and Everton on Saturday. Click here for more
CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

DARK TIMES

MoganEdi

Maybe the fat cats of the PSL in Naturena are still licking the milk off their faces after their MTN top 8 cup win where they pocketed a creamy R8 million and the players shared a cool R4 mil.

I think the glamour boys may have had too much milk that had a laxative effect as they were quite sluggish and all but glamorous this weekend, not to mention this opening part of the season.

“I think it was the darkest moment we ever had and my personal darkest moment,” coach Mushin Ertugral is reported to have said just after the game.

Dark, Dark times indeed.

I was listening to the match on SABC radio and had given up hope by the half hour mark. I know Chiefs have a knack of coming back at the dying moments of the game but this time it seemed unlikely way before the half time point.

Many of the Chiefs fans I spoke to on Saturday seemed to have shared my sentiment. During the second half, most of us were out and about going on with our business and relegated the thought of our favorite soccer team to the dark corners of our consciousness; pretending that it was all a bad dream.

It is funny that even yesterday no body mentioned the game. It was as if fans seemed to prefer to pretend as if it did not happen. How could it, Chiefs, the defending champs nogal, knocked out in the first round?

It just does not make sense in any major cup competition.

But as fans, I think we are caught in the traps of history. We take for granted that we were the defending champs and that Chiefs cannot get booted out in the first round. I mean, how often does that happen?

Maybe it is time that we get over ourselves and forget our history and start thinking of building a new legacy. We tend to reminisce about days gone by way too often and forget the task at hand.

HAPPIER DAYS

WILD CELEBRATION: Chiefs players celebrate after the Telkom Cup match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria last year. Picture: GALLO IMAGES

Golden Arrows had us “for lunch” but hey, we still licking the cream off our faces and the season has only just begun.
Buy the way, the winners of the Telkom cup walk away with 4 million. Chiefs won double that. Eat that!

PS: I was pleasant to note that no one complained about the referee or lines men in this game. This is encouraging considering that Confederation of African Football (Caf) will be holding a referees’ workshop this week, starting today.

Arrows spike Chiefs’ 4-1

Amakhosi for lunch
Lamontville Golden Arrows are in a class of their own and their 4-1 humiliation of Kaizer Chiefs in the Telkom Knockout in Durban on Saturday should not be regarded as an “upset”.
Abafana Bes’thende’s triumph did not come as a surprise to many people who have been following their progress this season, which they kicked off with a 1-0 win over Orlando Pirates. Click here for more

CLICK HERE FOR SOCCERZONE

Celtic, United Win


Santos, Usuthu bomb out
Bloemfontein Celtic and SuperSport United yesterday advanced to the quarterfinals of the rich Telkom Knockout to join Lamontville Golden Arrows and Ajax Cape Town who went through on Saturday. Celtic advanced with a 5-0 routing of Santos at Seisa Ramabodu Stadium. Click here for more


Bernard Parker off to Sweden

Bafana Bafana golden striker Bernard Parker is leaving for trials in Sweden with First Division League side this weekend.
He is jetting out of the country today. Click here for more

CLICK HERE FOR OUR SOCCERZONE

Parker continues great run as Bafana triumph


Second-half substitute Bernard Parker rescued Bafana Bafana by steering them to a 2-1 win over Ghana’s Black Stars in an international friendly at Free State Stadium last night.
Parker, who came on for midfielder Siyabonga Nkosi, scored the all-important goal in the 70th minutes. Click here for more


Ghana blank stars


Big names miss SA friendly
Ghana are confident of brushing Bafana Bafana aside at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein tonight despite being minus an array of top players.
The Black Stars arrived yesterday without big names like Junior Agogo, Sulley Muntari, Gyan Asamoah and John Mensah, contrary to what they told Sowetan on Monday. Click here for more


CLICK HERE FOR OUR SOCCERZONE

Dikgacoi returns to happy hunting ground


Bafana Bafana midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi can’t wit to face Ghana’s Black Stars in an international friendly at Free State Stadium tomorrow night.
“It has always been a great venue for me, that’s where I made a name for myself in soccer,” said Dikgacoi, who used to play for Bloemfontein Young Tigers. Click here for more

CLICK HERE FOR OUR SOCCERZONE

Saving face - Bafana out to restore pride


Bafana Bafana are under pressure to get a win to restore pride in the team and improve their rankings when they meet Equatorial Guinea in a 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Malabo tomorrow. Click here for more


Mbazo home brew



Player plans own foundation
Bafana Bafana captain Aaron “Mbazo” Mokoena is taking the concept of ploughing back into the community to another level by establishing his own foundation.
The England-based defender-cum holding midfielder will launch the Aaron Mokoena Foundation at home and in London in February. Click here for more



CLICK HERE FOR OUR SOCCERZONE

Mbazo home brew


Player plans own foundation
Bafana Bafana captain Aaron “Mbazo” Mokoena is taking the concept of ploughing back into the community to another level by establishing his own foundation.
The England-based defender-cum holding midfielder will launch the Aaron Mokoena Foundation at home and in London in February. Click here for more


Mthembu a Buccaneer


Chiefs may not give up fight
Orlando Pirates have won the battle against Kaizer Chiefs over striker Siphelele Mthembu, but Amakhosi look set to appeal against the ruling.
The outcome vindicated Pirates’ administration executive, Floyd “Jomo” Mbele, who was accused in various quarters of illegally signing Mthembu. Click here for more


Circus is in town


Bafana press briefing shocker
Final preparations for Bafana Bafana’s game against Equatorial Guinea got off to a dramatic start with a scheduled media briefing being cancelled at the 11th hour.
The briefing, which was to be addressed by coach Joel Santana, was called off after the South African Football Association failed to secure an interpreter. Click here for more


Swallows soar


Rampant Dube Birds wallop Kaizer Chiefs
Moroka Swallows flew high with pride when they overpowered a hapless Kaizer Chiefs 2-0 in a thrilling Absa Premiership match at Olympia Park Stadium yesterday. Click here for more


Chiefs, birds up for it


Both upbeat and on song
There will be a lot more than pride at stake in Sunday’s Absa Premiership clash between Moroka Swallows and Kaizer Chiefs at the Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg. Click here for more





Tests for top refs


Molefe and Damon plan to go all the way to final
With referee Jerome Damon back from an intensive 2010 World Cup seminar in Switzerland, assistant Enock Molefe is upbeat the duo will make the grade for the final panel. Click here for more

CLICK HERE FOR OUR SOCCERZONE

I’m relieved – Teko Modise

Bafana agog after scoring
Bafana Bafana’s campaign to prepare for the 2010 World Cup is back on track after their failure to qualify for the MTN Africa Cup of Nations finals in Angola. Click here for more

SEE PICTURES OF THE GAME

It’s Parkerthi for Bafana


Hotshot ends SA’s winless streak
In-form Bernard Parker and Daine Klate finally brought a smile on the faces of many South Africans by helping Bafana Bafana to douse Malawi’s Flames 3-0 in an international friendly at Germiston Stadium last night. Click here for more