Kick Off August 2022

With Bafana Bafana failing to qualify for three World Cups in a row, as a country we have spent so much time complaining about what is wrong with our men’s team and what needs to change. From winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996, the men’s team performance has been on the steady decline on the African continent as well as the global stage. And the drop in the number of local players playing overseas is further proof that things have steadily gone backwards since read-mission to international football 30 years ago. From Lucas Radebe leading Leeds United to the semifinals of the 2001 UEFA Champions League; Benni McCarthy being a top goalscorer at Portuguese side FC Porto, Aaron Mokoena captaining Portsmouth, Steven Pienaar playing a key role at…

KICK OFF To air your views, email your letters to forum@kickoff.com The views expressed in the letters published do not reflect the views of KICK OFF magazine, its editor or publisher. The editor reserves the right to edit and shorten letters. Letters shorter than 200 words will be given preference. Please note there are no prizes for star letters at this time. Third term for Jordaan As a football fanatic I’m very disappointed to see Danny Jordaan going for the third term as SAFA President. I thought the delegates would see things differently this time and vote out Jordaan. He was part of the LOC that have managed to bring FIFA World Cup the South Africa in 2010 of which was something good and very much appreciated, but as SAFA…

How Maluleka secured his future After Mamelodi Sundowns announced that they have opted against exercising the one-year contract extension for George Maluleka, Kaizer Chiefs fans couldn’t help but take a jab at their former player. Losing a job is no laughing matter irrespective of who is at the receiving end, but a large section of Chiefs fans somewhat felt pleased by the news, considering how Maluleka left them two years ago. Chiefs started the 2019/20 season on a roll and were well poised to win the league until early 2020. As Maluleka was in the last six months of his contract, news started swirling around that he had signed a pre-contract with Sundowns-Chiefs’ title challengers at the time. Sadly, this coincided with the period during which Maluleka had become one…

GOOD MONTH FOR … DANNY JORDAAN There may have been some jitters in the camp of SAFA President Danny Jordaan when he stood for re-election for an unprecedented third term and Ria Ledwana emerged as a candidate. But he won a landslide election with 186 of the 221 votes. BAD MONTH FOR … JOMO COSMOS Cosmos were relegated from the second tier which was bad enough, but they then embarked on an ill-advised campaign to be reinstated to the division in the place of Hungry Lions. They claimed that Lions fielded an ineligible player in Tshepo Mohlala, but were forced to apologise themselves having been found to have allegedly falsified documents in the case. It was shameful and a slur on the name of Ezenkosi. ALSO LAST MONTH… • Mamelodi…

Such is the nature of Arthur Zwane’s body language as a coach that he might not arouse thrills in the way he conducts himself, which is why he is doubted by some. He doesn’t have the ‘pitbull’ character of Benni McCarthy nor the eloquence of Steve Komphela. But what is hidden behind that appearance of a reserved human being is a streetwise philosopher with a personality as rich in humour as it is in wisdom. Zwane knows all the tricks of the trade in this game having been born in Meadowlands, Soweto, where he chiselled his craft as a footballer in the amateur ranks and had to wait until past his mid-20s for his career to blossom in the topflight. A stint with Tembisa Classic just before the turn of…

Bienvenu EvaNga (Chippa United) It was always given that Bienvenu Eva Nga would be leaving Chippa United after reaching double figures on the scoring charts and finishing third on the DStv Premiership list behind Peter Shalulile and Victor Letsoalo. What also fuelled his departure were the constant money issues that the Cameroon forward had to deal with while with Chippa, where he continued performing despite his unhappiness. In moving to Orlando Pirates, the 29-year-old will now be on his best contract since arriving in South Africa at the beginning of 2020 from Mozambique, where he suffered for years without a club before ultimately leaving as the top scorer. Despite his technical limitations, Eva Nga will give Pirates raw power and energy upfront with the plus being that he has already…