Table of contents for August 2022 in Kick Off

Yusuf Maart (Sekhukhune United) Top of the list of those that have come in is midfielder Yusuf Maart (27) who has joined from Sekhukhune United on a six-figure salary. Maart is reuniting with Letlogonolo Matlou with the two having played together at Cape Umoya United. He is expected to be a multi-dimensional central midfielder able to make use of the ball with efficiency while also keeping shape when out of possession. “He is a player that had to work through a couple of mental obstacles,” says Nathan Paulse, who played with Maart at Cape Umoya United. “He has always had the ability which is why he was excelling the way he did in the early days of the Multichoice Diski Challenge. He was one of Orlando Pirates’ stand out players and…

KICK OFF: Leo, what has been going through your mind since Kaizer Chiefs confirmed they are not extending your contract? Leonardo Castro: For me this is normal because I have been through similar experiences before in South America. I faced this situation when I was playing in South America where I would have signed a contract for a year and must then leave the following season. This [decision by Chiefs] was no surprise but what makes this different is that I was in South Africa for almost seven years. I now have kids and was away from home, so there was a lot of things to fix before I left the country. Remember, when I came here I couldn’t speak a word of English so there was a language challenge,…

KICK-OFF: Daniel, you’ve just left a club you represented for a large part of your career. What are some of the take aways from your time with Kaizer Chiefs? Daniel Cardoso: It was a positive stay. I met so many great players, coaches and just good people in general. I got to play in so many competitions, would have loved to stay longer and try to complete 10 years but you know all good things come to an end It’s one of those things, I have to accept. We understand you were not always a defender, you actually started out as a striker? Yes, I was a striker at all the development clubs I played at. Scored lots of goals. Then when I was at Wits Boys with Eric Tinkler…

Bongani Zungu (Amiens, France) Bongani Zungu’s tumultuous five-year affiliation with Amiens has come to an end after the 28-year-old turned down a contract extension with the French Ligue 2 side. After forming part of Glasgow Rangers’ Scottish Premiership-winning squad during a loan away last season, Zungu returned to Amiens at the start of the current campaign and featured 16 times across all competitions, even filling in as a defender when called upon. The season was not without controversy for the former Mamelodi Sundowns star however, as fitness concerns and a subsequent public spat with coach Philippe Hinschberger, coupled with a poor disciplinary record on the pitch, saw him alienate himself for large parts of the campaign despite performing admirably when he was available for selection. Zungu’s attention will now turn…

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…

Mamelodi Sundowns vs SuperSport United Mamelodi Sundowns were pretty hopeless in the MTN8 before lifting the trophy in 2021, but even then they needed five penalty saves from heroic goalkeeper Denis Onyango in the final shoot-out against Cape Town City to end up victorious. Sundowns, for all their other success, went 14 years without taking home what is widely regarded as the easiest of the domestic trophies to win, in large part to due to their traditional slow starts to new seasons, especially under former coach Pitso Mosimane. They have in fact now won the trophy only twice in the Premier Soccer League era, despite reaching the final on six occasions in that time. SuperSport were winners in 2017 and 2019 as they reached three finals in a row, but…

1 Goalkeeper Ricardo Batista Ricardo came through the ranks at Vitoria Setubal and went on to play for Fulham in England, where he started out as second choice to Edwin van der Sar. He has since come back to play here at home for Casa Pia AC. I was with him in the junior national team and at Vitoria Setubal, so I understand his qualities very well. He is a keeper who knew what to do with every situation that he was faced with and knew how to command his box. With him in goals you never have any doubts. 2 Rightback Vieirinha If you need a modern wingback, then this man from Guimaraes is your go to guy considering that he knows what to do going up and then…

Making peace in the nest ANDRIES MPONDO was one of Moroka Swallows’ most influential players in the 1980s and 90s, is the scorer of the first ever goal at Soccer City and joined the club coaching ranks after his retirement, starting with the under-19 side. He was an assistant to Walter da Silva when the Brazilian was fired after a 5-0 loss to Orlando Pirates in December 1999 and took charge of two matches against AmaZulu (2-0 victory) and Wits University (0-1 loss) before Zeca Marques was appointed the new coach of The Birds. “At that time we were fighting to avoid relegation. I found it easy to be the acting coach because I had good communication with the players,” Mpondo says. “They had been complaining that with Walter they…

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…

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…

In the recently concluded 2021/22 DStv Premiership season, Cape Town City went 13 games without defeat until the final matchday of the season, where they fell at the hands of provincial rivals Stellenbosch FC. That excellent unbeaten run catapulted them to the highest finish since the inception of the club. But it was no plain sailing during the season – the club parted ways with a number of senior stars, including Abbubaker Mobara, Fagrie Lakay and Surprise Ralani, among others. In hind sight, it was a stroke of genius to make the squad more competitive. Left-back Terrence Mashego, who played his second season for City since his 2020/21 arrival from TS Galaxy, explains how they managed to turn an underwhelming first half of the campaign into a historic finish. “It’s…

KICK OFF: Most people may not know that you have been in the game for decades. How long has it been? Ria Ledwaba: I have been long in the game. Three decades. I was not in the structures in administration, but I was running my team, Ria Stars, since 1989. And your club produced a number of household names – Teko Modise, Lucky Lekgwathi, Rodney Thobetjane, Frank Makua and others. How was it running the club? Recently I was at Tonic Chabalala’s tournament in Limpopo and 10 of my products were there. They are now legends. I felt like I was a legend too because I said I have got a legacy and I have got a story to tell. Which player made the most impression on you in those…

KICK OFF: How did you feel wearing the national team colors and representing the country against Morocco? Sphephelo Sithole: It’s an indescribable feeling, suffice to say I felt proud knowing that I have finally earned the right to wear the green and gold colours. There is no better platform to showcase your talent than at this level. It was what I have been waiting for since the day I traveled to Europe. It was not an ideal moment as we lost the match but there was no better platform to show the general South African public that never saw me playing in Mzansi who I was and what I could bring to the table. How was the atmosphere in camp in preparation for the match? It was very good, and…