Leeds Masterful in action-filled fare
Tanzania shake off fatigue and Bafana Clever Boys boss shuts door on Modise
THE 2017 East London Central Local Football Association third Edition NoelMein Cup first round knockout cup ties produced few surprise results over the weekend at the North End Stadium.
The Premier League sides all flexed their muscles to book their places in the last 16.
The biggest upset of the round was a spirited Leeds Masters becoming the first Masters side ever to advance from the opening round after a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout win against First Division outfit FC East London after the match ended 1-1.
Leeds’ First Division promotional side eliminated Breidbach Masters when their opponents failed to arrive on time for their cup tie.
Millan surprisingly had a comfortable 4-0 win against First Division table-toppers Central United and K-Way is but one of only three FIrst Division sides to book their place in the last-16 after they beat Brothers of Peace U20 2-1.
Defending NoelMein Cup champions, Seagulls, sailed into the last-16 without kicking a ball after Atlantic Spurs Masters withdrew from the contest.
Cup champions in 2015 and last season’s runners-up, Riverside, were also not tested after Atlantic Spurs U20 failed to arrive for their clash.
Star of India hardly raised a sweat in trouncing Prides Masters 11-0 while EL Central 2017 fifth Anniversary cup champions, Pride of India, had to work hard before grinding out a 3-0 win against Rovers Masters.
Premier league champions, Swaraj, did not have it all their own way, but still had enough in the bank to overcome a resilient Alphen Warriors 2-0, while both Napoli and Saints set aside their troubled premier league seasons with emphatic wins.
Napoli equalled Star of India’s alltime winning score by putting 17 goals without reply, past a hapless Swaraj Masters with star striker, Olwethu Makela bagging a record six goals.
Star of India achieved this feat in 2015 against Millan in the same competition. Saints trounced Real Dukashe 5-0 while Atlantic Spurs annihilated Imonti Christian Centre 6-2.
Parkside United thumped current Masters League champions Riverside Masters 7-1 and Brothers Of Peace comfortably beat Prides U20 5-0.
Buffalo City Sports Academy put four past Diaroma United and Conquerors breezed past Riverside U20 by a 4-1 margin.
The final first round of promotional league action conclude this week at the North End stadium. JOSE Ferreira has indicated that it is unlikely that Absa Premiership champions Bidvest Wits will be Teko Modise’s next destination.
Giving insight into what the Wits CEO called‚ “the games agents like to play”‚ Ferreira moved to quell any suggestion that Modise‚ out of a club having not had his contract renewed at Mamelodi Sundowns‚ might be a target of his club.
Ferreira said Wits would strengthen their title-winning squad and continue their modus operandi of trying to bring in quality players TANZANIA and Zimbabwe shook off the weariness of playing four times within a week to reach the Cosafa Cup southern Africa championship semifinals on Sunday. An early goal from Elias Maguri gave Tanzania a 1-0 victory over title-holders and hosts South Africa in the first half of a quarterfinals double-header in northwest township Phokeng.
A Knox Mutizwa header in the closing stages took fourtime champions Zimbabwe through as they edged Swaziland 2-1 at Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in a thriller.
Tanzania play Zambia and Lesotho face Zimbabwe in the semifinals tomorrow at nearby Moruleng Stadium in the South African platinum mining belt. from an increasingly agent market.
Failing that‚ the would aim to trade clubs.
The CEO was asked this week if two Bafana Bafana 2010 World Cup stars – Modise and Steven Pienaar‚ out of contract at Sunderland – would be Wits targets “I’m not speaking to Steven Pienaar. I can tell you categorically that I have not spoken to Pienaar at all‚” he said.
Asked about Modise‚ Ferreira said: “We get phone calls from agents all the time. And the problem is this – and it happens all the time.
“You get a phone call from an tough free
Clever Boys players with agent who says‚ ‘I represent Teko Modise’‚ as an example – I’m not saying I’ve had that call.
“And they say‚ ‘Would you be interested?’ And they don’t even listen to the answer because immediately it finds its way to the newspapers and we are now‚ ‘Interested in Teko Modise’. Why?
“Because I received a call from the agent asking if I was interested in the player.
“And the agents like to play that game. Was I approached about Teko Modise – yes. Have I been approached about Steven Pienaar – yes.
“I have
Zambia beat Botswana 2-1 and Lesotho won 5-4 on penalties against Namibia after a 0-0 draw in the Saturday quarterfinals. Zimbabwe and Zambia have won the Cosafa Cup four times while Lesotho and “guests” Tanzania are seeking a maiden success in the annual tournament.
Tanzania are part of the east African Cecafa region, but received an invite when Cosafa members Comoros declined to compete.
The eliminations of South Africa and Swaziland mean none of the 2016 semifinalists have reached that stage this year.
A brilliant pass from midfield set up Oman-based Maguri to beat South Africa goalkeeper been approached by agents for about 200 or 300 different players. And I can assure you‚ if we signed one or two of them‚ it will be way too many!”
“I know that we are in the free agent business. But does that mean we sign every free agent that is available. We try and select the very best that we can find.
“Take Teko Modise. Fantastic player. Do we need a Teko Modise at Bidvest Wits?
“I think our midfield is probably one of the strongest in the country. Would it make sense for Bidvest Wits to sign Teko Modise?
“And the answer is: clearly not.” — TMG