Mashaba Names Bafana
Squad For Nelson Mandela Challenge
Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba has named his squad for
this weekend’s Nelson Mandela Challenge. Bafana will host Ivory
Coast in the annual showpiece at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday, a day after the
Telkom Knockout Final between SuperSport United and Platinum Stars. As the
international tie falls outside of the Fifa calendar, clubs are not obliged to
release their players for it. SuperSport
and Stars were not asked to avail any of their players owing to their cup
commitments. The Nelson Mandela Challenge, played in honour of the former state
president and anti-apartheid icon, has been a regular feature on the senior
national team calendar since 1995. African champions Nigeria won the previous
edition of the competition with a 2-0 victory over Bafana in August 2013.
Bafana squad:
Goalkeepers:
Brilliant Khuzwayo (Kaizer Chiefs), Jackson Mabokgwane (Black Aces), Dumisani
Msibi (SuperSport)
Defenders:
Siyabonga Nhlapo (Wits), Patrick Phungwayo (Orlando Pirates), Mulomowandau
Mathoho (Kaizer Chiefs), Ntsikelelo Nyauza (Orlando Pirates), Kwanda Mngonyama
(Maritzburg United), Ayabulela Magqwaka (Ajax CT), Thulani Hlatshwayo (Wits),
Siyabonga Zulu (Chippa)
Midfielders:
Themba Zwane (Sundowns), Mzikayise Mashaba (Sundowns), Oupa Manyisa (Orlando
Pirates), Vuyisile Wana (Moroka Swallows), Fagrie Lakay (Santos), Jabulani
Shongwe (Wits), Bongani Zungu (Sundowns), Asavela Mbekile (Sundowns)
Strikers: Siyanda
Ngubo (Orlando Pirates), Puleng Tlolane (Polokwane), David Zulu (Chippa),
Lerato Lamola (Bloemfontein Celtic)
South Africa has been confirmed as hosts
for the 2015 Cosafa Cup in May at the end of the League season to allow all
competing countries to field full strength line-ups. As it stands, South
Africa are still to decide the venues for the tournament but confirmed the
hosting of the 14-country event after the completion of the Cosafa annual
general meeting in Johannesburg on Saturday. Safa president Danny Jordaan says
the association will do everything in its power to ensure the event is
successful. Cosafa also made a commitment to prepare a four-year programme from
2016 onwards that will see an annual Cosafa Cup plus under-20 and under-17
tournaments, and a women’s championship. Patel said next year’s under-20
tournament would be played in Zambia in late November/early December. Dates and
venues are being worked on with the Football Association of Zambia and will be
announced in due course. There will also be the inaugural Beach Soccer
tournament for Cosafa countries to be hosted in Seychelles from April 9-11,
2015 with eight nations taking part. The participants have still to be
confirmed. The event will be the precursor to the CAF Beach Soccer tournament
being organised and hosted by Seychelles a week later.
Tickets are still available for
Saturday’s Telkom Knockout Final between holders Platinum Stars and SuperSport
United at Orlando Stadium. The game kicks off at 15h00. Tickets are R80 for
the Main/West Stand only, while for the rest of the stadium they cost R40.
Children under the age of 12 will pay R10. R10 tickets can only be bought by
individuals who purchase R40 tickets. Tickets are selling at Computicket and
Shoprite Checkers stores countrywide. The Premier Soccer League and partners
Telkom have also planned other entertainment for the day to ensure a festival
atmosphere, and will release details in the course of the week.
AmaZulu have appointed Steve Barker as their new head coach
with immediate effect to help the club stabilise their 2014/15 Absa Premiership
season. The club could only confirm his appointment after Barker had
met with his past employers on Sunday evening to formalise his departure. The
46-year-old coach joins Usuthu having guided University of Pretoria for over
six years, in which he helped them gain promotion to the PSL from the National
First Division in the 2011/12 season.
Assistant coach Mugeyi was put in charge as caretaker coach after Craig
Rosslee was relieved of his duties as head coach on 15 October. Usuthu are currently placed 16th on the log
having collected just four points in 11 matches.
Platinum Stars’
players will receive a portion of the prize money should they defend their
Telkom Knockout crown against SuperSport United this weekend. Dikwena will
face Matsatsantsa in the Final at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, with the winner
pocketing R4,250,000 and the loser receiving R1,750,000.
Mpumalanga Black Aces
defender Mbulelo ‘OJ’ Mabizela remains suspended with pay pending the outcome
of investigations into gross misconduct. The verdict on Mabizela’s
disciplinary issues with Aces is expected out within the next week. Aces boss
Mario Morfou says that Mabizela will continue to be sidelined until the
investigation is concluded. Though Morfou wasn’t willing to discuss why
Mabizela was suspended, only hinting that it was ‘conduct-related’. The former
Bafana Bafana captain – who has a long-stretching history of disciplinary
issues – has only played a single game for Aces this campaign, the
season-opening 4-0 MTN8 quarter-final defeat to Kaizer Chiefs.
Mpumalanga Black Aces striker Tendai
Ndoro will be out of action for two weeks after picking up a hamstring injury.
The Zimbabwean international took to social media last Thursday evening about
the setback. “Out of action for two weeks due to hamstring,” Ndoro posted on
his Facebook page. This is likely to see Aces coach Clive Barker roping in
Mabhuti Khenyeza to partner Collins Mbesuma up-front against City. Ndoro’s
injury also means the Aces striker is likely to also miss the matches against
Bidvest Wits on 26 November and Chippa United on 3 December.
The Premier Soccer
League (PSL) has scheduled the first double header of the 2014/15 Absa
Premiership season. The double header will be played on Reconciliation Day,
Tuesday 16 December 2015 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane and will
feature Polokwane City, University of Pretoria, Kaizer Chiefs and Free State
Stars. In the first match, Polokwane City will host University of Pretoria at 15h00.
This will be followed by Kaizer Chiefs against Free State Stars at 18h00.
University of Pretoria have confirmed
Sammy Troughton and Sly Mosala will coach the club on a permanent basis.
This was revealed by AmaTuks CEO Dr Rendani Mulaudzi during a press conference
in Pretoria on Monday. Troughton and Mosala take over the reins from Steve
Barker, who joined struggling AmaZulu on Sunday. Mulaudzi believes that the two
will work well together, and also denied that the club is in talks with
ex-Platinum Stars and SuperSport United mentor Cavin Johnson.
Mamelodi Sundowns are closing in on
tying down Denis Onyango to a new deal after opening talks with the Ugandan
goalkeeper. Onyango’s current deal expires in June but Sundowns have made
clear their intentions clear of handing him a fresh contract, according to the
player’s agent Ivica Stankovic. Onyango initially joined Downs on a three-year
contract in 2011 with an option of a further year which was then exercised last
year while he was on loan at Bidvest Wits. The 29-year-old – who has largely
been second choice to Kennedy Mweene at Chloorkop – has played two of the last
three games for the Brazilians.
Sixteen university teams will battle for
top honours after the launch and draw of the 20th edition of the University
Sport South Africa (USSA) Football National Club Championships at Safa House in
Johannesburg. The tournament will run from 1–5 December in Durban hosted by
DUT Durban Campus. The opening ceremony will be held at the King Zwelithini
Stadium in Umlazi on 1 December 2014, starting at 17h00. There will be matches
played at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Howard College), Durban University
of Technology (Steve Biko Campus) and Curries Fountain Stadium. The finals will
take place on Friday, 5 December at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium with the ladies
scheduled to start at 14h00 and the men’s match will follow at 16h00. The
opening ceremony will be followed by a gala dinner, which will take place on 5
December at the DUT Steve Biko Campus Sports Center. It starts at 20h00. The
USSA National Club Championships is held annually to crown the champions of
USSA Football to select the USSA men’s and women’s national teams to represent
South Africa at the 2015 World Student Games which will take place in Gwanju,
Korea. In the last edition of the Games in Russia, the SA women’s team finished
in fourth place. The men’s team failed to secure an invite as they did not do
well but could be in contention for 2015 as they are now second in Africa.
Invites are expected next month. This year there will be 16 men’s teams
contesting the Club Championships, and only 15 in the women’s section after one
team pulled out.
• Mangosuthu
University of Technology
• University of Johannesburg
• Vaal University of Technology
• University of KwaZulu-Natal
• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan
University
• Northwest University
• Cape Peninsula University of
Technology
• Central University of Technology,
Free State
• University of Limpopo
• University of Western Cape
• Wits University
• Durban University of Technology
• Tshwane University of Technology
• University of Pretoria
• Walter Sisulu University
• University of Zululand
Mpumalanga Black Aces
striker Tendai Ndoro has confirmed that Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns
are racing for his signature. Ndoro – who missed his team’s League match
against Polokwane City on Saturday because of a hamstring injury – revealed
that the Chiefs and Sundowns are holding talks with his agent, Karabo Mathang.
Both teams showed interest in the Zimbabwean during the previous transfer
window. This website, though, has already gathered that Pirates will table a
swap deal that would bring Ndoro to the Soweto giants in exchange for Aubrey Ngoma.
However, with Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane also monitoring the player, Ndoro
would well become a new addition to the Chloorkop-based side come January.
Honduran striker Junior Sandoval is
impressing on his trial at SuperSport United, according to coach Gordon
Igesund. Sandoval and Ivorian midfielder Loua d’Avila Adriel was spotted
training with Matsatsantsa last week at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. “He
[Sandoval] looks a very good player,” says Igesund. “He keeps the
ball nicely. He is a nice player but I am not gonna rush to anything. I’m just
gonna look at him and take it from there,” added the former Bafana Bafana
boss.
Free State Stars may hire Milutin
Sredojevic as their new head coach. Ea Lla Koto parted ways with Belgian
Tom Saintfiet recently after management became increasingly concerned with what
they described as a “string of poor results”. In fact, this website first
reported in June about the Serbian possibly joining Stars but Saintfiet, in the
end, got the nod. However, Sredojevic, who currently coaches the Ugandan
national team, is back in the picture as far as the Stars job is concerned and
with his contract with Uganda coming to an end in December, he is apparently in
a position to accept Stars’ job. Kinnah Phiri is currently coaching the side.
Platinum Stars skipper Vuyo Mere has expressed his loyalty to the club after
extending his stay in the North West for another year. Mere’s contract with
Dikwena was set to expire in June next year, yet the former Mamelodi Sundowns
defender’s current deal has been prolonged after the club chose to exercise the
option to extend his contract. Stars chairman Ratanang Nke says that his club
is also hoping to keep Mere even beyond his playing days at the club. Platinum
Stars are set to play in their third final in two seasons after they qualified
for the Telkom Knockout Cup final.
Kaizer Chiefs
duo Stuart Baxter and Tefu Mashamaite have been named Absa Premiership Player
and Coach of the Month respectively. The PSL awarded the prizes for
the months of September and October due to the limited number of local games
played.
Contrary to earlier media reports it was
revealed that Orlando Pirates midfielder Oupa Manyisa has two more years on his
initial contract, which will be exercised by the club. Manyisa’s contract
with Pirates is set to expire in June, next year. However, the Bafana Bafana
midfielder has two more years as an option in his contract with Bucs and the
club expected to exercise it in January, according to a senior official at
Parktown. Manyisa has been linked with a move to big-spending Mamelodi Sundowns
at the end of the season, but that will now remain a pipe dream for Masandawana
fans, as the “Mighty Buccaneers” are set to offer the player a
much-improved package. The 26-year-old is set to meet with the club management
in the coming days to discuss his future with the club.
Bafana Bafana can brace themselves for a
tough draw at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. South Africa are one of 16
teams in the pot for the finals in Equatorial Guinea, having qualified top of
Group A after four wins and two draws. However, results in the last three
editions of the Nations Cup have counted against them as they will be seeded in
Pot 3 for the draw. It works like this: Teams gained points by position finished
in the last three tournaments – seven for a win, five for runners-up, three for
semi-finals, two for quarterfinals and 1 for group stages. Points gained in the
2010 finals are multiplied by one, for 2012 it’s multiplied by two, and for
2013 it’s multiplied by three. Bafana failed to reach the 2010 and 2012 finals,
and lost in the quarterfinals in 2013, so two points multiplied by three gives
them six. That puts them in Pot 3 along with Cape Verde, Gabon and Democratic
Republic of Congo. Pot 1 consists of hosts Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Zambia and
Burkina Faso. Pot 2 consists of Ivory Coast, Mali, Tunisia and Algeria, while
Pot 4 has Cameroon, Senegal, Guinea and Congo. The draw for the finals takes
place on December 3.
Mamelodi Sundowns striker Nyasha Mushekwi could join Belgian Jupiler Pro League
side Cercle Brugge, according to reports in Zimbabwe. As reported last
week, Mushekwi has options to leave Sundowns and is back in training, but not
with the senior team. The Zimbabwean striker is yet to kick a soccer ball this
season after injuring his knee during his loan spell with KV Oostende in
Belgium last season. Mushewki’s agent Ralph Nkomo has revealed that Brugge has
since expressed interest to sign his client. Mushekwi still had an outstanding
scoring record for Sundowns before he fell out of favour, with 40 goals in 53
starts to his name.
In-demand midfielder Thabo Rakhale is staying at Orlando Pirates, according to
club official Floyd Mbele. Rakhale has attracted interest from Free State
Stars and Polokwane City, while it is understood that Mpumalanga Black Aces
have also enquired about his availability. And although Rakhale, who spent last
season on loan at City, impressed during the MultiChoice Diski Challenge he
remains a peripheral figure in Mayfair. However, the player’s manager Mandla
Mthembu says his client is still committed to making his mark at Pirates
despite confirming that three teams are after the ex-Sivutsa Stars man. Mbele
also confirmed Rakhale will not be leaving the Buccaneers.
South African players
abroad
Andile Jali was sent off for Oostende, Tokelo Rantie got injured doing duty
for Bournemouth, while Thulani Serero was back in action for Ajax Amsterdam in
Europe this past weekend.
Daylon Claasen
was an unused substitute for German Bundesliga II side 1860 Munich in their
impressive 4-1 win at Union Berlin.
Andile Jali was sent off after 36 minutes
of Oostende’s 3-2 home win over Standard Liege, his first red card since moving
to Belgium.
Darren Keet sat out the 3-1 win over
Zulte-Waregem through suspension.
Kamohelo Mokotjo
played the full game as FC Twente defeated his old side PEC Zwolle 2-1 to
remain in third in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Anele Ngcongca played the full game for
Genk as they won handsomely 3-0 at home to Mechelen in Belgium.
Kgosi Ntlhe
played for English League One side Peterborough United in their 2-1 home loss
to Swindon Town that continues their poor run of form and leaves them outside
the play-off positions.
Ayanda Patosi
came off after an hour for Belgian side Lokeren in the 0-0 home draw with
Westerlo and later complained on social media of their opponents ‘parking the
bus’.
Lebogang Phiri
came on for the final few minutes of Brondby’s 1-0 home win over Sonderjyske that
keeps the side in fourth in Denmark.
Tokelo Rantie was
injured playing for Bournemouth in their 2-2 English Championship draw with
Ipswich Town on Saturday, but the hope is he will be fit for the African
Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea.
Thulani Serero, not fit to play for Bafana
Bafana in Nigeria last Wednesday, was straight back in the Ajax Amsterdam
starting line-up for their 4-1 win over Heerenveen.
Joel Untersee played in the Swiss
league for Vaduz as the strugglers let a 3-0 lead slip at St Gallen to
eventually draw the game.
Siyanda Xulu was
an unused substitute for Russian side FC Rostov as they lost 2-1 at Torpedo
Moscow.