Tsamaya

This week’s soccer buzz

● Steve Komphela’s BFF Luc Eymael cannot dribble his way out of a paper bag. The motormouth who talked himself out of a possible job somewhere in Pretoria, frothed at the mouth when he tried to explain his snub of print scribes after his team were beaten 2-1 by AmaZulu in Durban. He claimed that he was sick like a dog and had energy enough to make it for the television interviews. “I went for the TV interview after the match even though I had flu and I didn’t eat on Sunday. I had to coach my team because I’m professional. I actually went to the corridors looking for the print media guys but I didn’t see you there.

“So what I had to do? Cry after you or wait for you like a foreman in the corridor? But for me to wait in the corridors for you‚ I can’t because I was sick. I had 39 degrees temperature.“Mind you the normal temperature is 37 degrees Celsius. It is for this reason that Tsamaya has asked his esteemed colleague Hogarth to speak to President Cyril Ramaphosa not to do to Eymael's temperature what he has done to the price of petrol and VAT. We don’t want our Belgian comedian to kick the bucket.

● Taxi drivers are often blamed for being cut from the same cloth and the same has to apply to characters like Eymael and Ernst Middendorp. The latter was not only famous for losing his false teeth, but also for losing his rag with media personnel regularly.

The former, who happily has been kept away from the Naturena coaching gig, did a Middendorp and disappeared into the depth of the King Zwelithini Stadium corridors, never to pitch up for his mandatory post-match media engagement. All that's needed from Eymael is a few expletives and he will claim the crown of the coach with the most acerbic tongue from ice king Middendorp.

● Being a free agent, Lebohang Manyama was always bound to sign for a big club but Kaizer Chiefs could have at least tried to polish up the attacking midfielder before their photo shoot. Manyama looked like he was roughly summoned from a deep slumber in Alexandra to pose for pictures when he was being introduced at Naturena this week. There are five days left before the transfer window closes, ample time for a neat photo shoot with Chiefs’ world-leading Cadbury Eclair jersey.

● Another one who needs some refining in his responses to the media at Naturena is none other than coach Giovanni Solinas, who constantly looks like a lost sheep whenever he’s placed in front of the big, flashing cameras.

Asked about Chiefs’ opponents in today’s MTN8 semifinal match, Solinas delivered an all-time classic as an answer. “I have to respect SuperSport because I’m not stupid to underestimate SuperSport.” Clever, hey?