Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Kick Off

It’s hard to imagine that when we celebrated KICK OFF magazine’s 28th birthday in February this year, it would be our last one as a print publication. KICK OFF magazine was launched in February 1994 as a magazine that was going to give a voice to South African players at the dawn of democracy. And due to popular demand, in September 1996 we changed our print frequency from monthly to fortnightly, which was followed by the launch of our website, kickoff.com, in 1999. As the popularity of the local game grew in the new millennium, so did we, and our greatest achievement was by far the 2010 FIFA World Cup where we were official partners. But unfortunately, with rising inflation, increasing fuel and paper prices, along with a decline in…

KICK OFF: You have remained connected with where you grew up in Tembisa by always being involved in various projects around the township, which is inspiring … Themba Zwane: Look, having grown up in Tembisa I know the struggle because I also went through it so therefore, I always want to help where I can. There are people that I work with who grew up here like George Maluleka, who has the same mindset as me, so it is a combined effort. I know the challenges faced by people in the township which is why I’m always there in person around people that I grew up with so that we can inspire others. The younger ones need to see it for themselves that I come from where they are. They…

KICK OFF: How did you move to Cape Town City come about? Marc van Heerden: We knew for a while that Stellenbosch wasn’t going to renew my contract. And yeah, we were on the verge of looking elsewhere, possibly the teams in Joburg. But I got a call from [City coach] Eric Tinkler to say he wants me to come down and join up with the team. And from there, the rest is history. It’s very exciting to be joining a team like Cape Town City, the ambition, the drive the quality of football that they play. And then, obviously, just the way the club is run. You know, it’s an exciting, exciting time for myself in my career. They’re looking to do big things and I want to be…

10. Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden) Combined transfer fees: €169.1 million (R2.8 billion) AC Milan veteran Zlatan Ibrahimović is one of the game’s great journeymen and has enjoyed a glittering 23-year career that has spanned nine clubs across seven countries and two continents so far. The Sweden international is widely regarded as one of the world’s most prolific strikers – a reputation that is supported by the nearly 600 career goals to his name for club and country – and boasts an impressive playing CV that includes spells with Malmö FF, Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus, Inter Milan, FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Los Angeles Galaxy, and two stints with the Rossoneri. His moves between these clubs have attracted cumulative transfer fees reported to be in the region of €169.1 million (R2.8 billion)…

The clock has already started counting in the new campaign as season number eight since Kaizer Chiefs last won a trophy. Such has been the length of agony since May 2015 that the memories of that DStv Premiership title celebration have become a faded thought, considering how many coaches have come and failed to win trophies. It started with Steve Komphela, who was followed by Giovanni Solinas and Ernst Middendorp, with Gavin Hunt and Stuart Baxter also joining the queue. Komphela adopted a winning squad that had only lost Tefu Mashamaite and Mandla Masango when he took over but couldn’t keep up with Mamelodi Sundowns’incredible pace, while also ending as a runner-up in both two Cup finals that he reached. It then went all south until he was sacked just…

KICK OFF: Your 2021-22 season didn’t start well but you had great performances after the Christmas break and helped the club retain topflight status. How would you summarise the last campaign? Given Msimango: Last season was tough for me to be honest. It was difficult because I had prepared well during the off season and then a horrific injury happened. I was told we would need to operate. I’m like, ‘how long is that going to take to heal?’ and I was told three months. I say, ‘that’s not bad’. What I didn’t consider was that there’s rehab, there’s regaining your fitness. The whole thing takes longer than you think. We struggled a lot in the first few games. I wasn’t used to not being able to train. I missed…

Experience shone through The squad that lifted the Wafcon title averaged an astonishing 50 caps per player, which highlights the huge amount of experience that has been built up over the last decade or so. The 23 players have a total of 1,161 caps between them, led by three centurions, which is an average of 50.5 appearances per player. That international know-how was one of the major reasons why they were able to tough it out in the difficult moments in Morocco and claim the title, not least in the final as they kept their cool after the hosts scored a late goal. Nine members of the squad have 50+ caps to their name and all bar the injured Thembi Kgatlana (68 caps) and Janine van Wyk (181) started the…

Stellenbosch FC quietly pulled off one of the deals of the transfer window in July after snapping up former Germany youth international Lasse Sobiech on a free transfer from 2. Bundesliga side SV Darmstadt 98. The move to bring the near-two-metre-tall centre-back to Stellenbosch was 18 months in the making and included a chance meeting between Sobiech and Stellies CEO Rob Benadie, prior conversations with former Cape Town City FC star Roland Putsche, and the player’s deep affinity for South Africa that stretches back more than half a decade. “When I was younger, I always said that in the latter stages of my career I want to experience football outside of Europe and now is the time,” Sobiech tells KICK OFF. “I am 31 years old and when I started…

Orlando Pirates fans may have been expecting a so-called ‘big-name’to take charge of the side for the 2022/23 season with the likes of Pitso Mosimane, Gavin Hunt and Benni McCarthy all free agents as they desperately seek to close the gap on Mamelodi Sundowns. The club had decided to replace the co-coaching duo of Mandla Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids at the end of a 2021/22 season that included a place in the final of the CAF Confederation Cup, but was characterised by poor domestic form. It was then not surprising that Davids left, seemingly of his own accord, and while Ncikazi has stayed, he will be assistant to the new man at the helm of The Buccaneers, Spanish coach Jose Riveiro. It is probably fair to say that any coaching…

Lincoln Vyver Date of birth: 02/03/2001 Position: Goalkeeper/Club: Cape Town Spurs The gloveman came through the academy at what was then Ajax Cape Town before the Dutch club pulled their partnership and will be looking to establish himself at re-branded Cape Town Spurs in the coming season. He played exactly 15 league games in each of the last two seasons, having helped Spurs stun then topflight Baroka in a penalty shoot-out victory on his professional debut in the Nedbank Cup in 2021. He also made his Bafana debut in the COSAFA Cup later that year. He is very highly-rated by many in the game. Lebohang Nthene Date of birth: 25/02/2002 Position: Goalkeeper/Club: Stellenbosch FC A young keeper at Stellenbosch FC who has yet to feature for the first team but…

KICK OFF: What was it like to be back on the pitch with some of your former Manchester United teammates in the recent charity match against Liverpool? Quinton Fortune: It was great, my body took a beating because I still think I can sprint! There was a great atmosphere and I think we will play them again in September. These are major moments because so many supporters came to watch, I think we had 50,000 to 60,000 people in attendance, which is unbelievable. All the funds go to our foundation, which helps the community in Manchester. So yes, we want to go out there, compete and beat Liverpool, but there is a bigger picture at the end of the day. It was a successful day as we were able to…