LET MDOKISI ‘COOK’
Welcome back to all Soccer Laduma staff and fellow readers. I hope everyone is well so far in 2024. The only negative thing that we came with to 2024 is trying to drag other people down and if we can stop that, it will be better. Doctor Khumalo is doing a great job with his column because he doesn’t talk about Chiefs past and present only, he talks about all the happenings at other teams in the DStv Premiership. He also praises other teams’ coaches, not Chiefs’ one only. Look at how beautiful his column about successful young coach Rhulani Mokoena was. I enjoyed that column very much as he was fair and square. Let us stop being negative about other people and give praise where it’s due. Jealousy won’t take you anywhere. So, guys, please stop telling Doc how to write his column because the name of the column is Hanging with Doc and he can do as he wants. If you feel that he’s boring you, just skip the page instead of being negative. On another note, what I can say is Thabiso Hlalele, you are the man! Let’s give him a Bell’s. Nyambeni Samson Khuphani, Tshiawelo Ext 5
BRILLIANT BRIAN!
That ‘In Touch’ with Brian Mpoyana was simply the best. I’m eagerly waiting for Part 2. Yho, that was hilarious! Go-Man Khumalo, Nqutu, KZN
GOOD ENOUGH, OLD ENOUGH
What a wonderful piece you did on Mfundo “Obrigado” Vilakazi in our first edition of the New Year. Do I think he is ready? Of course yes, this dude was born ready. The time has come for him to show the world what he’s made of. I heard it through the grapevine that he has been promoted into the senior team. If indeed it is true, then it’s long overdue. If you look at the history of Kaizer Chiefs, we always had that one player that shone above the rest. And since Scara Ngobese (may his soul continue to rest in peace) left, we have never had that influential player. An impact player that would come into the field when the chips were down and make things happen. But with Chiefs still in the market for a head coach, I’m afraid we might get a coach who doesn’t like his style of play and this will end up prolonging Obrigado’s wait in the senior team. As a staunch supporter of the Glamour Boys, I hope it doesn’t turn out that way. Nafie Moloantoa, KwaThema
KEEPING ME GLUED…
Big ups to Soccer Laduma for the Revolving Column with Baba Mthethwa in last week’s edition. It really shows how vital it is for our commentators to give us their best as they play a crucial role in the game. TV and radio are two different things. I am really enjoying Brian Basiame Letsogo from Motsweding FM and Mark Gleeson on TV. Furthermore, I really enjoy reading Soccer Laduma a lot. The Afcon has started and I am always glued to my paper and the website for more updates. I wanna thank the Soccer Laduma readers’ WhatsApp group too, we really have a good time sharing football information amongst each other there. Danny “Madeenzo” Moreo, Segakwana village, Moruleng
AFCON’S HERE, MINNOWS DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND!
This edition of the Afcon will be full of upsets. Seeing big guns like Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana being upset like that by minnows shows me there will be a lot of surprises for the big guns in upcoming matches. It won’t be a surprise to see our Bafana winning it. But I must say I am very disappointed by Cameroon goalkeeper Onana, who decided to undermine his country and CAF by breaking all the rules. Here there is no club v country issue because as far as I know, according to CAF rules, players who are selected for their national team must report to camp weeks before a tournament starts, but the larger-than-life Onana decided to arrive late. I also blame Samuel Eto’o for that boy’s bad behaviour. How on earth can he choose Man United over his country? I am just waiting to see if justice will prevail at Cameroon. Are they going to play that spoilt brat and sacrifice dedicated players? It is no fluke that Rigobert Song was so hard on that boy. He disciplined him and the spoilt brat decided to retire from international football, only to make a U-turn to come and disrespect the Cameroon national team. Boitumelo Vanrooyen, Schweizer-Reneke
Another two years have passed and, as usual, Africa (CAF) is subjected to another bout of disrespect by Europe and its football clubs. Kompany, Ten Hag and Klopp have shown without pretence that they disregard the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. Now some African national teams will play in the tournament without some of their best players. The Afcon has since lost its shine of prestige. CAF has to consider changing the timing of hosting the tournament and the interval cycle between tournaments or continue being belittled by Europe permanently. Akhona Ndletyana, via email
Afcon is a bit boring. Games aren’t living up to expectations or maybe they will as the competition progresses. I didn’t expect Ghana to lose to the littleknown Cape Verde, and neither did I foresee draws in the Nigeria v Equatorial Guinea and Egypt v Mozambique games. In the Cote d’Ivoire v GuineaBissau game, there were some sparks in the opening minutes, but as the game went on, eish, I slumbered in some instances. Only one player caught my eye, Fofana. It’s high time CAF conforms to international standards where the tournament will be held during the European off-season so that players will play their hearts out, and maybe then the games will be interesting and have cohesion. SAFA had to change their system to suit the FIFA calendar, but why not CAF as Mzansi is their affiliate? Come on, CAF, wake up! I thank you, fellow Soccer Laduma readers, and Compliments of the New Year. Stay blessed. Lebatlo Joshua “Mr Cool” Mati, Dilopye village, Temba
How can Broos expect us as a nation to be behind Bafana if he’s going to the Afcon tournament with only three strikers? It’s actually one out-and-out striker, Tau. With all due respect, Lepasa and Makgopa don’t actually scare any backline at the Afcon. These are top defenders playing week in, week out in Europe. What happens if Tau gets injured? Nigeria had five out-and-out strikers named in their team and still had one injured in a friendly.
Bafana have more defenders than attackers in their squad. The draw against Lesotho says everything. Anyway, I still wish them well! Dominic “Domma” Van Wyk, Mitchell’s Plain
This Afcon is wide open and there’s no clear favourites. Already big teams with big-name players have given lacklustre performances. Cape Verde deserved their win against Ghana. They created more clearcut chances than the latter and could have scored more. Nigeria and Egypt didn’t deserve the point they each got. It’s not only about the scoreline but about the performance also – sluggish and deflated. I don’t know if the hot weather conditions have anything to do with it. There was no intensity at all. Hopefully by the time teams play their second games, they will have gotten out of their first gear. More upsets are on the cards though. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be exciting. I must also acknowledge the fact that teams like Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, etc, see the need to strengthen their nations by doing what Morocco do, searching for the talent eligible to play for their countries across the world, mostly from Europe, while we believe that we are world-beaters with our PSL players. It’s time to follow the latest global football trends.
Lucky Khunou, Meriting
It looks like powerhouses of soccer in Africa will be a thing of the past if the opening games’ results are anything to go by. This can only be good for continental football and will keep supporters glued to their TV sets. With favourites Nigeria, Ghana and Egypt starting with draws and a loss, the so-called small countries will fancy their chances. It was good to see our Southern African neighbours Mozambique giving such a performance against their Northern African counterparts. Hopefully by the time you read this letter, Bafana will be three points richer, though our coach is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Well, the less said about him, the better though. Malesela “Dance” Boya, Kanana, Hammanskraal
The Africa Cup of Nations started on a high note. So far, it looks like it will be a tournament with a lot of upsets and maybe this will be a year of the underdogs. The tiny nation of Mozambique gave seven-time champions Egypt a run for their money, with the latter sparing their blushes by scoring a late penalty. Even Cape Verde made Ghana sweat and the pressure paid off when they scored a winner in stoppage time. Once again, the mighty Nigeria were held to a draw by Equatorial Guinea. Are the mighty top dogs taking the small nations for granted or are the small nations just well-prepared? It seems a norm so far that goals are scored deep into injury time. Is this due to a loss of concentration or a never-say-die attitude on the part of the minnows? Let’s see who will qualify for the knockout stages. Good luck to all!
Gavin Ryan, Emalahleni
The 34th edition of the Afcon has begun in Cote d’ Ivoire. One feels proud to see the colourful exhibition and talented footballers, from all corners of the continent, at one gathering.
The hosts started the tournament on a high note by registering a resounding win against GuineaBissau. The latter were absolutely underperforming that they couldn’t match the attacking prowess and physicality of the Elephants. In a tournament of this magnitude, there is great expectation to see referees executing their duties objectively. The glamour of major football tournaments has been marred by poor refereeing in recent years. However, we strongly rely on the impartiality, independence and quality of the referees in order to make this tournament an overall success. Let’s applaud the CAF President Patrice Motsepe for having confirmed that some corrective measures have been devised with actionable steps to avoid another fatal stampede similar to the one that occurred in the match between Cameroon and Comoros in 2021. This unfortunate incident almost clouded the credibility of the tournament. We are blessed to have a visionary CAF President. CAF should also be credited for increasing the prize money for the winning team to $7 million. This will create an atmosphere of competitiveness. Moreover, the value and prestige of the Afcon will be elevated.
Batsirai Kativu, Johannesburg
What a weekend! I witnessed beautiful football. Real African soccer. Congrats to Cape Verde for beating Ghana, they really deserve it. They were thirsty for victory. Hard luck to Mozambique. They played very well, but I think they we robbed by the VAR officials. If Egypt continue to play like they did, I don’t see them making it to the quarterfinals. This year’s
Afcon will be full of surprises and I think we will see lots of giant-killers. Ghana, Nigeria and Egypt need to pull up their socks, otherwise they won’t go through to the Last 16. Nghamula Rikhotso-Nkonwana, Mageva village
Already we’ve witnessed some surprises, with more in store. No one would have foreseen Mozambique playing a draw with Egypt, what with the abundance of talent at the latter’s disposal, or Equatorial Guinea matching Nigeria pound for pound. The less said about Cape Verde beating overrated Ghana, the better. I always support the opponents whenever the Black Stars are playing and don’t ask me why. I won’t write our Bafana off. They might go all the way to the final. Not all players can be selected at once, but I still feel Ngezana’s omission is questionable. Back here at home, I’m not happy by my team’s signing spree. Some of these players from abroad aren’t better than what we already have. Safranko wasn’t better than Shalulile. Mkhulise is better than Saavedra. When are we going to see the likes of Mabena, Nkosi and Nyanga playing regularly if we keep signing players past their sell-by date, like Veldwijk (as per the rumour mill)? What happened to Mkhuma? See? Tente “The Brains” Mokoka, Sepharane
Already we’ve seen a major upset when Cape Verde defeated Ghana. For anyone who has followed Cape Verde over the past few years, it is not a surprise as they’ve improved immensely. The game between Mozambique and Egypt was also a humdinger. I just want to send a shoutout to my homeboy and grootman, Jeff Mokgere from Ga-Mabelane, who has always encouraged me to write to Soccer Laduma. I bumped into him last week at Burgersfort and he asked why I haven’t been sending in my letters lately. Truth of the matter is, 2023 was a hectic year for me and I can only hope 2024 will be much better and I’ll spill more ink on MAKE YOUR POINT. Happy New Year to everyone associated with this massive publication. Thokane Marvin “Gator” Matseke, Leboeng Rutseng, Burgersfort
Quick One-Two’s
Compliments of the New Year to the Soccer Laduma family, as well as fellow readers and their families, and hopefully this year will bring nothing but the best of the best to all of us. I write with a heavy heart on account of Swallows’ shenanigans. As much as it was embarrassing for a PSL team to fail to honour its games, what led to it cannot be denied. For as long as the management still points fingers at the players for its failures, the problem is going to carry on. Yes, the players were at fault for boycotting training and matches as their contracts state that their salaries are to be paid on the last day of the month, as per the team official. But what I am not sure of is why would they act in such a manner knowing exactly that what they were doing was against their contract of employment? Only time will tell. That said, I still blame the PSL, Irvin Khoza & Co., for what is happening at Swallows. Cape Town City almost experienced the same fate and I bet had it not been for that