Kick Off July 2021

From Mamelodi Sundowns winning the League title with just one defeat; AmaZulu finishing second on the log – which is the highest position for the team since winning the League in 1972 – to Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila winning the Nedbank Cup, the 2020/21 Primer Soccer League season was one of the most interesting campaigns in the last 25 years. AmaZulu made their mark AmaZulu’s new owner, Sandile Zungu, bought the club before the beginning of the season and made a good decision when he decided to keep the original name and home base – something that we don’t often see in South African football. Zungu, a passionate club supporter himself, followed that up by making changes in his technical team early in the season when he brought in Benni McCarthy…

Sacking Gavin Hunt To my dismay, I saw that Kaizer Chiefs supremo Kaizer Motaung has given Gavin Hunt the boot. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. In my humble opinion, Mr Motaung was wrong, and here’s why: * Gavin Hunt is a proven winner – Jose Mourinho was successful at Chelsea in his first stint – plenty of 1-0 wins. No fan of Chelsea today will admit we played boring football, but they’ll remember they won trophies. * For Hunt to be successful, he needed time and his own players – he inherited this squad. I am of the opinion, give the coach what he wants. That way, should he fail, he can only blame himself. Another example of giving a coach/manager time is Jurgen Klopp at…

South African football clubs have made us proud in both CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup competitions. Before the mid-2000’s, CAF afforded SA clubs one spot for each of the club tournaments. In 2016, Mamelodi Sundowns won the Champion’s League, and then the Super Cup in 2017, and the Brazilians represented SA in the FIFA Club World Cup. Although the Tshwane giants were booted from the contest in the first round, the club made us proud. Sundowns have since been competitive, often reaching the later knockout rounds. This achievement led to CAF affording SA two spots in both competitions. Unsurprisingly, this season PSL had three clubs representing the country up to the quarterfinals of both the CAF tournaments. Sundowns and Orlando Pirates were knocked out in the quarterfinals, whilst Kaizer…

GOOD MONTH FOR… PETER SHALULILE The Mamelodi Sundowns striker was named PSL Footballer of the Season for the 2020-21 campaign, a deserved accolade for a player who brought goals, assists and plenty of energy to the league champions. BAD MONTH FOR… GAVIN HUNT Hunt had to be patient to get his chance to lead one of South Africa’s ‘Big Three’, but having landed the head coach role at Kaizer Chiefs this season, the timing proved awful as the club battled with a transfer ban and unbalanced squad. He was sacked before the end of the campaign for the first time since leaving Hellenic in the early 2000s.…

• Kaizer Chiefs re-appoint Stuart Baxter to the head coach role, a position he filled with great success from 2013-15 when he won two leagues titles, the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup. • Kaizer Chiefs also appoint former Bafana Bafana national team coach Molefi Ntseki as their head of Head of Technical and Youth Development Academy in another backroom shake-up at the ailing club. • Cape Town City re-appoint Eric Tinkler as their head coach after he led the side to third and the Telkom Knockout in his previous season in the Mother City in 2016-17. He replaced Dutchman Jan Olde Riekerink. • Former Mamelodi Sundowns spokesperson Thulani Thuswa passes away after a car accident on June 6. He was a hugely popular figure within local football circles. • Richards Bay…

The morning after Peter Shalulile was named the PSL Footballer of the Season and DStv Premiership Players’ Player of the Season, he sent his mentor Ronnie Kanalelo a touching message. “Big boss. God’s work is awesome. Amazing. Your continuous support, encouragement and guidance has moulded me into a player I never imagined I could be. I genuinely appreciate you. Thank you. God bless,” read the text. Reading the message, Kanalelo came close to tears thinking about how the boy he first met as a teenager had now grown to become the best in the PSL in his first season at Mamelodi Sundowns. Sundowns is the only club that the retired Kanalelo also played for through his time in South Africa, so the connection runs deep when mention of the Chloorkop…