Table of contents for May 2021 in Kick Off

10 Thulani Hlatshwayo Senegal 2-1, Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, November 12, 2016 At the time it seemed a gift penalty from Ghanaian referee Joseph Lamptey when Senegal’s much vaunted defender Kalidou Koulibaly was alleged to have handled the ball. At first sight, and then confirmed by television replays, it was some way from his hand, striking much lower down against Koulibaly’s knee. But Thulani Hlatshwayo tucked away the spot-kick for the lead in the World Cup qualifier and then Thulani Serero made it 2-0 just minutes later. Bafana went on to win the game 2-1 with Senegal understandably angered afterwards, but how many times have we seen losing coaches blame defeat on refereeing decision? This time, however, Senegal fury was more than justified. First the Confederation of African Football banned…

The HM Pitje Stadium in Mamelodi was once a citadel of South African football, the spiritual home of giants Sundowns and a place where opposition sides feared to tread. But more than that, it was also a home for the local community, with inter-schools sports events and festivals bringing no shortage of joy and helping to unearth plenty of local talent. Those days are long gone. It is has turned from a proud facility for Mamelodi to a dangerous eye-sore that has been stripped bare and become a den for criminal elements. And all this after a reported R136-million was spent to upgrade the stadium ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where it was to be a training facility but then never used due to safety concerns. “IT HAS…

KICK OFF: Some of Africa’s most successful footballers have roots in Europe and you didn’t have that advantage. How did your rise to prominence happen? Victor Wanyama: Mine was a bit strange, my brother [McDonald Mariga] was playing in Sweden [for Helsingborgs IF]. I just went there to visit him and one day he spoke to the director who told him, ‘I’ve seen your brother, I can get him to train with the young ones so that he has something to do’. I went there and started training with the youth team. From there, they liked me and kept me. That’s quite interesting as you never shared the same shirt name with Mariga over your career. Why is that? No, we are blood brothers, he used the name Mariga on…

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, publisher or CT Media Publications (Pty) Ltd. 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. Development must be prioritised in Bafana The lack of development of players has been Bafana Bafana’s obstacle to fulfil their progressive ambition. We have young players that want to breakthrough into the highest-level of football but are being deprived by senior club coaches that opt for old players with vast experience. The football governing body has no plan to protect these young players that would…

KICK OFF: Mshishi, welcome back to the pages of KICK OFF. Mamelodi Sundowns seem to be cruising on their way to the title for the fourth year – what makes this season different to others? Themba Zwane: Honestly, competition between clubs is still high just like previous seasons. In fact, this season it’s much higher because of the intensity our coaches want us to play. You can see, whenever we have the ball, we use speed to attack and whenever we lose it, we use speed to win it back, and we are always trying to press opponents. Our style of play is also different because we are now using a 4-3-3 formation and last season it was 4-4-2. We are trying to have the ball all the time and…

Out in the streets of Umnonjaneni, Tembisa, there is always a hive of activity as local children kick soccer balls from sunrise to sunset. In the years that follow, these kids will ultimately take different paths as they seek to make a success of their life. Kaizer Chiefs winger Happy Mashiane is a product of this system which has fed professional football some of its brightest stars, despite plenty of others disappearing and failing to make it to the top, according to Tembisa Black Pirates director John Fakude. “We recruited Mashiane to Black Pirates straight from the streets when he was maybe around 10 or so and he grew up here with us in the team,” Fakude says. “I identify kids from the informal games they play. “HE IS STILL…

When Kaizer Chiefs’ transfer ban is lifted at the end of the season, Kgaogelo Sekgota is one of the players linked with a move to Naturena. Sekgota is sitting on a deal that runs up until the end of June with Swallows FC and is expected to be among the players arriving at Naturena during the off-season. Amakhosi have had little success with wide players of late and had no stand-out performer this past season with Philani Zulu, Lebogang Manyama and Dumisani Zuma not providing the width, pace and crosses. The speed and flair with which Sekgota plays might provide answers for coach Gavin Hunt, who has previously worked with the 23-year-old at BidVest Wits. With the ball at his feet, Sekgota enjoys taking on players at pace down either…

KICKOFF: You’ve made a great impact with Beitar Tel Aviv this season, scoring five goals and also providing a number of assists. Are you happy with how things are going? Rowan Human: I’m enjoying it, but you know as long as I am playing football then I’m always really happy. I’m enjoying living in Israel. It is something different, but I feel like playing here gives me a lot to look forward to in the future. I just keep saying to myself that every week I have to get better because I know where I want to be next season. The only way I will get there is if I do extremely well this campaign. Did you expect to go on loan this season? Beitar Tel Aviv is a feeder…

GOOD MONTH FOR … KAIZER CHIEFS Kaizer Chiefs qualify for the quarterfinals of the CAF Champions League for the first time in their history with a gutsy 2-2 draw away in Guinea against Horoya. A rare ray of light in a dismal 2020-21 season. They join Mamelodi Sundowns in the Last 8. BAD MONTH FOR … MOLEFI NTSEKI The players backed him and enjoyed his methods, but in football it is results that count and Molefi Ntseki’s surprise tenure as Bafana Bafana coach is brief after their failure to reach the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals. WORDS: “It’s just happy days‚ and happy for the Zulu nation. Because to find AmaZulu at second place with eight games to go‚ it’s remarkable. It’s something that’s unfamiliar with AmaZulu. So I…

KICK OFF: So, the boy from the township of Mondesa is now living the life that was only a dream those years ago in your early days at Swakopmund FC juniors. How was your family upbringing and rise into football? Deon Hotto: I am the last born from a family of three boys and three girls but lost my mother when I was in Grade 3, so I have grown up for most of my life with my father. He is still a bus driver at Rossing Uranium Mine, but is so popular after my achievements that he can’t cope anymore! Both my brothers, Moses and Theoder, played in the First Division and were far better than me, according to what their friends always tell me. My mom was a…

PART 2 KICK OFF: AmaZulu is not a ‘small’ club, if you guys can get the support of the Durban people then you can compete with the big guns on the pitch and in the stands? Benni McCarthy: Yeah, when the fans come back, this is one of the most passionate cities in South Africa, where people are football crazy. In my opinion there’s still a lot of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs fans in Durban, and I want to change that because AmaZulu must be the club that people want to support. There’s a massive fan base here that’s dying to have a local team that can compete with the Chiefs, Pirates and Sundowns. So I want to use the brand of football that we play and the success…

Molefi Ntseki was not your typical figure in charge of a senior national team, having had relatively no experience as a head coach at top-tier club level, and was certainly never seeking the grandeur that so effortlessly comes with holding the job. His humility, in fact, was refreshing as it was intriguing. A walk to his office on the far-right wing of SAFA House in Nasrec, Johannesburg, prior to his sacking, was all it took to realise how modest a person he really is. The somewhat barren cabinet in one corner of the room is no sign of his lack of success, which he has achieved plenty of, albeit intangible. The Botshabelo-born tactician started out his post-schooling career as a teacher and coached football as an extra-mural activity, before earning…

When domestic football still had the old school centre-backs who were neither apologetic nor hesitant in going into hard tackles, Andrew Rabutla was the pinup boy for them. Rabutla built a reputation as a defender who took no prisoners and was feared by many, and yet he also inspired those that believed in battle-hardened players. It was befitting that he was nicknamed ‘Jaws of Life’ before he had even completed his first home game after joining Jomo Cosmos in 1996 from Rabali Blackpool. “You are always given a nickname because of the way you play and that was the case with me,” Rabutla tells KICK OFF. “If you are a player and you don’t have a nickname it shows that you are not doing the right things. I didn’t have…