MAKE YOUR POINT

THE DEADLINE FOR NEXT WEEK’S ‘MAKE YOUR POINT’ IS MONDAY, 10AM.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

In response to the letter by Sibusiso Khumalo and those of many others (MAKE YOUR POINT, edition 1220), how can you call for the return of Micho? After two stints with Bucs, the man achieved nothing. He even dumped us on the eve of an important game against SuperSport. Good football with no results means nothing. Dr. Khoza has invested more than all of us in the team. He can’t enjoy watching the team lose. JZ has just broken the long trophy drought we experienced, something Micho failed to achieve in two spells. Dr. Khoza knows what he’s doing. Now we are in the CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinals, an achievement in itself. We like praising mediocrity. Micho achieved nothing, but he’s being praised. Ronnie Mamahlodi, Matlala ‘a Ramoshebo

To Dorah Manaka from Pretoria (MAKE YOUR POINT, edition 1220), Percy Tau has never played for the national U23 team because when he started performing for Sundowns’ first team, he was already over 23. Three overage players are allowed for the Olympic Games per team, so I think is up to the coach to choose any player he thinks will help and guide the young players, regardless of how many of them from one team. Thebeetsile Modisaemang, Protea Glen

Kindly pass this epistle, according to one Given Msimango in issue 1220 of Soccer Laduma, on to one Junior Khanye and Associates: “The key in time management. We all get 24 hours in a day and eight of those hours are used for proper sleep. The rest of the hours, you are able to decide the amount of time you will be on your books and the amount of time you are training and how much time you spend on your social life. You cannot deny yourself that part of your life. To say just because I am studying and playing soccer, I cannot have a social life. I try to put everything together so that I can have a balanced life. So far, I am not doing a bad job because I am doing well at school. I just finished writing my two tests and I passed with distinction. I am really happy that my balance is working for me. The key thing is discipline. It needs focus and dedication to what you are doing. Those are the key elements I try to apply.” Thanking you most kindly. Isaac Moabi, via email

PREVIOUSLY UNBEATEN…

My weekend started excellently when I met three members (Panyaza, Thusego and Cyprian) of our Soccer Laduma Chat Group at Ga Mothakga Resort in Atteridgeville for our very first get-together. We were supposed to meet last year, but Corona had other ideas. It was a day well spent and we are hoping to meet again soon in bigger numbers. Then the following day, the Yellow Train finally derailed when the Phefeni Glamour boys took the honour of being the first team to beat Downs in the league. Ka Bo Yellow recently broke our 19-game run and it was only fair we return the favour. When Castro missed a sitter and soon afterwards Downs scored, I panicked. Hunt then made a masterstroke decision when he won us the game from the bench, much to the delight of all PSL teams. Now Downs will start feeling the pressure of being at the top. It must not be forgotten that we also recently beat Bucs. I can only conclude by saying: What a weekend! Amos Tshukudu, Ga Maria

Two bulls in one kraal, and one had to bite the dust. What a nice way to silence the noise coming from the direction of Chloorkop of being unbeaten this season, though Siwelele had already done easy work in the MTN8 on the same team! Let me congratulate my beloved Amakhosi for collecting three valuable points at Loftus. I have analysed a few recent Sundowns games and have seen that tough and talented as they are, they are easy to beat, especially when you don’t allow them to play their possession-based football. Their loss against TTM was not by mistake, and when I said in our Soccer Laduma Readers’ WhatsApp group that Sundowns won’t beat Chiefs, few of our members thought I had perhaps partaken of the socalled “green herb of enlightenment”. I still think Sundowns will sweat blood to win the league this season, despite the two games in hand that they’re having. As for us Amakhosi, we are gradually getting there, we just need to cement our position in the Top 8 with three or four wins. Mompati Panyaza Ndlovu, Lekubu Village, Zeerust

Let me doff my hat and salute the Phefeni Glamour Boys. My beloved Chiefs humbled the so-called champions-in-waiting. What makes this victory so sweet is the fact that they lost in their own backyard. It simply means we have ended Sundowns’ record of being the only unbeaten team in the league. Furthermore, I found comments from their coach Manqoba Mngqithi very disrespectful when he said, “We have lost to ourselves.” In my view, Chiefs were a better team on the day, especially during the second half. I believe this glamorous team has finally turned a corner and will continue where they left off. Thank you, guys, for fixing this country. We are proud of you. I remain a Khosi 4 Life! Tebogo Ditlhale, Nelspruit, Mpumalanga

After beating Sundowns, Bobby Motaung celebrated as if we had won the DStv Premiership title. Amakhosi used to stamp their authority on the game, lifting every trophy on offer and that’s the reason we celebrated. I couldn’t put my feelings into words. I felt numb. “Bhotsotso” Mkhize, Eshowe, Mpaphala, KZN

As much as I’m grateful for a Chiefs win and three points, l have to say our players didn’t show the hunger. In the first 20 minutes or so, it was like Sundowns were in a training session. Chiefs players were going through the motions, with no sense of urgency. It was like they didn’t know what to do with or without the ball and that’s not good for a big team. Yes, they could not match Sundowns pound-for-pound, but they didn’t look serious as they lost possession of the ball cheaply. It’s not nice to see a team like Chiefs chasing the ball the entire 90 minutes, but I guess the final result counts more, hence I say they all

count. A Top Eight finish is achievable only if we stop giving away soft goals like we did in the last two games. Khosi I remain. Malesela “Dance” Boya, Kanana, Hammanskraal

Allow me to congratulate my beloved team for breaking Sundowns’ unbeaten record this season. Traditionally, Sundowns has never given us problems even when are on a poor run or when we are being lackadaisical in our approach. Failing to make the Top Eight would be a calamity for a team of Chiefs’ stature, but we have resurrected our chances with this massive win. Chiefs need to win at least three games from their remaining seven games, which is easier said than done, but we can pull it off. These are three fat points. Marvin Matseke-Mabula, Burgersfort, Rutseng

Congratulations to Chiefs for beating Sundowns. It was always going to happen and if it wasn’t Chiefs, who else? But this is the worst Kaizer Chiefs team ever! The less said about our central defence, the better. You look at their body language and their facial expressions, it leaves a lot to be desired. They are not up to the task. Lastly, the comments made by Manqoba Mngqithi that, “I never thought Chiefs would be the team to end our unbeaten run” left a lot to be desired. I had a lot of respect for the coach, but what I heard on Sunday showed a lot of disrespect and he is blowing his own trumpet! Please, coach, a little bit of respect goes a long way. Langa Mngqibisa, Vosloorus

Thanks to Chiefs for bringing Sundowns back to Mother Earth. The disappointment and anguish on the faces of Sundowns coaches was joy to me. It was partly revenge for walloping our beloved Soweto rivals. We spoiled Mngqithi’s birthday party. Stringing an ineffective thousand passes and having more ball possession doesn’t always win games. Give Hunt the players he wants, then judge him after the first term. Lindiwe Mabaso, via email

Congratulations to Chiefs for putting an end to Sundowns’ unbeaten run in the DStv Premiership this season. Chiefs really needed a big win like that to redeem themselves after losing against Cape Town City last week. I would also like to commend Itu – he had a good game and that shows that “form is temporary, but class is permanent”. What Chiefs did right on the day was just sticking to their game plan and not allowing Downs to boss them. Even though Downs had more possession, they stuck to the instructions and it finally paid off. Leponesa Chacha, Botshabelo

Well done Amakhosi, beating a team with three fulltime coaches who have signed 14+ players during the transfer window. “Form is temporarily and class is permanent.” Goddard Ngobeni, Pretoria

Kaizer Chiefs, the darlings of SA football, have a tendency of making history and breaking records time and again. On Sunday, almost everyone, including most Chiefs fans, were sure that Sundowns would repeat what they did to Chiefs in the first round. Chiefs showed everyone that they’re not called the Mighty Amakhosi for sweet nothing. General Hunt’s troops turned stones into bread when the whole soccer world was anticipating yet another Sundowns victory. When Sirino scored in the first half, many Chiefs fans suffered heartbreak and wished Hunt would step down with immediate effect. In the dying minutes of the second half, Chiefs corrected all their wrongs in the space of minutes to give their die-hard supporters a long-awaited and deserved victory. Nurkovic and Zuma put the final nail in the coffin of Sundowns, bringing them down to earth and breaking their unbeaten record. It was so unfortunate for coach Mngqithi to lose on his 50th birthday as it was for Chiefs on their 50th birthday last year. Well done, Chiefs. Vuyisile Bovu, Cofimvaba

I’m a die-hard Chiefs fan. I’ve said this before, right here on this very same platform, that Sundowns started their winning streak at our expense in the first game of 2020/21 and we’re going to be the first team to stop their unbeaten run. It’s happened. Someone had to stop them. Someone had to show them that there’s no team that can just be undefeated. Someone had to come forward and prove to Sundowns that they can be defeated. Someone out there had to come to the rescue of all PSL teams. Sundowns have been doing as they please. Sundowns are a very good team, but they must always be prepared for a serious fight when going into a game. They went into that game as favourites, while

Chiefs went in as a wounded lion. It doesn’t really matter what difference the win made on the log, what matters most was that Sundowns had to be stopped. I feel sorry for their coach, Manqoba Mngqithi, for a spoilt 50th birthday. If he didn’t celebrate before the game, then he’ll celebrate it next year when he turns 51. Letladi wa Ga-Mphahlele, Maralaleng

As a staunch Chiefs fan, it would be amiss of me not to offer my congratulations to the team for a second time. The first being when the team qualified for the CAF Champions League quarterfinals, a first in the team’s rich history. I had left this task to my fellow Khosi supporters while I focused on matters of national interest (Bafana Bafana). Straight from the horse’s mouth, may I offer my belated congratulations for that monumental achievement. It’s felicitations galore as Amakhosi were the first team to inflict defeat on the marauding Downs and thus bolstering their Top Eight ambitions. I henceforth pray for consistency as we still have a long way to go in as far as qualification for the Top Eight is concerned. If rumours that Zuma is on his way out of the team are to be believed, I humbly implore the management and the coach to rescind their decision. George Sithole, Honeydew

“Stubborn Chiefs derail Sundowns’ runaway train.” Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. People wrote Chiefs off before a ball was kicked, but now they are eating humble pie. Chiefs can kill you. Same applies with football. Shapa Khosi! Matthews Pandliwe, via email

In big occasions, Chiefs will be always come out tops. They perform well against so-called big teams. Young and experienced Chiefs players have shown Sundowns that soccer is played in the battlefield, not based on past results. Big up to Amakhosi for beating Sundowns . Danny Moreo, Segakwana village, Moruleng

I would have loved to congratulate Chiefs, but since they robbed us the Rothmans Cup in the late ’90s, I will never do that because even Joel “Fire” Masilela has not forgotten them. Losing to them was really disturbing, unexpected and very bad for my team. I really don’t mind winning against Chiefs all the time. This loss was so bad that even my four-year-old boy cried and told me that he’s so angry because our team lost. The good thing is that we’re still number one and I hope that will never change. I believe they deserved to win as they created more scoring opportunities than the Yellow Nation. Let them celebrate for now, shame, as they suffered a lot lately. Nkanukeni “Gabi the man” Magaba, Mvelaphanda

Congratulations to the Glamour Boys for collecting all three points against my beloved Masandawana. It was a good game, though we relaxed too much in the second half

as if we were leading 4-0. I give credit to Hunt’s team for becoming the better side in the second half. They fought and showed that they really wanted the three points by converting their chances. I don’t panic because I know my team’s style of play. It really hurts sometimes. I’m talking about the pace. We don’t attack as aggressively as other teams. For example, AmaZulu FC didn’t show us respect at all, but theywerelessfortunatefor not getting all three points. We still have two games in hand I hope we will show nomercyinthosegames. For Chiefs, I foresee them making history this season, especially in the CAF Champions League and I pray to God that we don’t draw them in the quarterfinals, otherwise we’re out. Markmywords. Alakhe Maxazi, via email

Sundowns coaches are to be blamed for the loss. How do you explain the inclusion of Brian Onyango ahead of Nascimento? KekanaandMaluleka wereleftintheStandsfor Mvala. I mean, everyone, even the coaches, knows that whenever Mvala is on the field, something bad happens, yet you even include him on the bench when playing against our archrivals. They should give us an explanation. I’m not happy about the loss. Roger Stemele, Wale Sandawana, Alice

My favourite team has lost its first game. Losing is painful, but losing to Chiefs is more than painful. As we all know that Chiefs have not been doing well, I had my doubts going into this game. I didn’t like the way our players play against teams in the lower half of the table. Mind you, it was a game of two halves. Downs dominated the first half, while Chiefs took their chances in the second stanza. I hope this is a wake-up call to the Yellow Nation. Forward we go. Kgashane Simon Mogashoa, Ivory Park

CHIEFS

Congrats to the ailing Chiefs side because, for me, I can still see a very shaky team. Let’s not be fooled by this fluke, a lot of disappointments awaits every Chiefs fan. Chiefs, defensively, don’t know what they are doing and that’s a coaching problem, coupled with poor team selection. There’s no communication whatsoever and it baffles me what Mathoho and Ngezana are still doing in the starting line-up. In case Hunt is confused as to who to use, I’ll give him a free tip. Katsande and Cardoso in central defence, Zulu andFroslerasleftand right back respectively. Defensive midfield, Matsheke and Blom. Parker in the stands. Mashiane and Ngcobo as attacking midfielders. Castro/Billiat and Nurkovic as twin strikers. On the bench Zuma, Manyama etc. Players to go in June: Parker, Kambole, Mphahlele, Ntiya-Ntiya, Moleko, Mathoho. I’m not going to say anything about new signings, except that we only need defenders and maybe one midfielder and a striker, but not Gamildien and Grobler. A new coach is definitely required, a local one. I’m pretty sure Owen da Gama can jump at an opportunity like that and he’s a very good coach who has resuscitated almost dead teams. Lastly, I hope we are not wasting our time writing to Soccer Laduma. The stakeholders need to read the valuable information we provide every week. Hofmeyr Kwitshana, via email

I think Hunt has done well so far given the way Chiefs players are doing. Because you see Player A doing so well today, but the next game, the same Player A nowhere to be found and the coach is forced to bring in Player B who showed some glimpses. The reason I make this comparison is that some people say Hunt is changing his squad every now and then. But what must he do if you are not giving him what the other player is giving him? And remember, you are as good as your last game. The coach needs to be given a chance and credit because no coach in the history of Kaizer Chiefs has qualified for the CAF Champions League group stages. Nobody gave him a chance to go as far as he has gone, yours truly included. But still, I never doubt his quality. Albert Khutshwa, Western Cape

I think next season Chiefs should lower the average age of the squad. Release Parker, Katsande, Khune and the very slow and erratic Mathoho and sign young players to complement the likes of Ngcobo, Mashiane and Blom and you’ll see exciting and expansive football that Chiefs teams of yesteryear used to play. Songezo Soso Roji, Mdantsane

I would like to stress the point that things really tend to fall apart when fans are silent. Chiefs need to let some of the senior players go because they are the reason for this mediocrity we are facing. Players like Parker, Mathoho, Katsande, Bvuma, Moleko, Kambole, Ntiya-Ntiya, Agay, Akpeyi, Zuma and Zulu must go to make way for incoming players. We’re crying week in and week out for results, but they are not coming due to the inconsistency of these players in danger areas. Then bring the likes of Nange, Njabulo Ngcobo, Hlanti, Mkhwanazi, Moseamedi, Grobler, Mdantsane, Ndlondlo, Gamildien, Mhango, Mbule and Qalinge to beef up the squad. That is 11 released and 11 bought, and then you will see the Naturena

train. Give Khune just one season to lead the troops, with young Bontle Molefe being the understudy to him. If that Brandon Petersen is bought, let him be third choice. Give the young Molefe a run as he is one for the future. Masiza Mbobo, Matatiele

As a Chiefs fan, I wish to highlight some a few facts. The reality is: No trophy again this season, Top Eight spot at risk, top five spot, as promised by Hunt, is well out of sight. Implications for next season: No spot in MTN8 and CAF. The club will be left with the league as well as domestic cups and if this season is anything to go by, then we are in for another drought. A lot is being said about which players to sign. Currently, match winners are watching from the stands, while ‘favourites’ keep getting game time.

Baccus has proved that he is more than capable of playing, but finds it hard to make the team. Manyama is quality, but starts on the bench or gets substituted. Zuma is nowhere to be seen and yet he comes in and makes an impact. Mphahlele was at the peak of his game and a captain, and all of a sudden, he’s out in the cold. Natural left backs like Sasman, Zulu and Ntiya-Ntiya sit on the bench while a natural right back is played out of position, hence exposing the central defence. Natural defensive midfielders like Katsande and Akumu sit out while Blom and Macheke are played, with no visible impact on the game, and understandably so because they’re still youngsters and thus cannot be relied on in every game. I wish the coach can justify his persistence with the same players when results are not forthcoming. His player combinations show a coach who does not play his players according to their strengths. I urge our beloved club to rethink the position of the coach and his entire technical team before it’s too late. The club is breaking records for all the wrong reasons under this technical team. Please save this club – if not for your own sake, then for the fans. Simphiwe Xalipi, via email

If Chiefs terminate Hunt’s contract, they must employ Tinkler as our coach. They must also employ Farouk Khan as his assistant. These two guys differ in their philosophies. Tinkler is good on defence, while Khan is good on transition and attack. Our identity as Kaizer Chiefs is attractive attacking football, with a strong and disciplined backline. This Chiefs team plays as individuals, with no objective, no sense of urgency. Wow, hayi suka, niyabhora (what a bore). Manono “Noise”, Lower Roza, Qumbu

ORIGINAL (SOWETO DERBY) THOUGHTS

The original derby didn’t produce sparks like the first round encounter. It was a dull derby, even with a goal apiece. Pirates, once more, lack consistency. I’m concerned with the chopping and changing of the starting line-up. I understand that some of the changes are forced, but a player like Mntambo is not giving us what we want and I really don’t understand what he is doing to warrant a start. Maybe he is good at training, but in games, he is not productive. My captain Hlatshwayo is trying so hard, but he uses the wrong part of the body to defend because for that ball that result into an own goal, he should have used his in-step to defend, not the head. Pirates fail dismally to keep consistency as they win and then draw. You don’t know whether they are coming or going. The other downfall of Pirates is utilising players like Ndlovu while you have Jooste, who is a natural right back. But after all, a point is better than nothing, especially away, even though I’m so disappointed. Madimetja Vic Mashamaite, Renstown

What a derby we witnessed on Saturday! The so called original Soweto Derby was full of fireworks. The only person who was not competent was Hlatshwayo – the man is not so lucky. Maybe it is time he gives up the armband. Moses Mokoena, Ga Mokwakwaila

Having watched the game between Swallows and Pirates, one noted, once again, how Pirates fluffed easy chances, resulting in a drawn game, which should have been won comfortably. In an attempt to make my point somewhat differently, I’ve decided to come up with what I term “Bucs-based bizarre sweet nothings”. If Pirates were a Grade 12 learner, they would need to apply for some concession like widening the goalposts so as to make it easy for them to score. Missing clear-cut opportunities should be a bookable offence which, if repeated, could lead to a dismissal. The new question to be asked by the Health Department, in an attempt to diagnose your sickness, is whether you follow the fortunes of Pirates because if you do, you will be regarded as being very vulnerable, and you will need to take medical treatment every time Pirates play. The management should consult Hunt in terms of identifying players that they need, McCarthy for moulding those players into a unit and Sundowns for pouncing ruthlessly on a player that has been identified. Lastly, all the clubs should thank Chiefs for doing what no one has succeeded in so far, bringing an end to Downs’ impressive unbeaten run of 21 league games. Ephraim Sinxezi, Vanderbijlpark

I’m not happy that we dropped points in the original Soweto Derby. Mabasa might not be that kind of striker who brings a lot of pressure to the defence like Mhango, but he’s lethal. He score goals and that’s enough for a striker. I don’t understand why he didn’t start the game. There are so many things I don’t understand in that Pirates team. Why is Makaringe playing all the games because lately he’s giving us nothing? Why is Jooste always benched? As for Ndlovu playing in midfield, spot on. He gives a little dimension that we lacked. With his short passes and arrogance, his confidence on the ball… no ,I like the boy. He must always be the first on the list in our midfield. I know most of the supporters will blame “Tyson” for that own goal, I don’t. Hlatshwayo is a fighter and he will make mistakes because he doesn’t hide. I loved how he carried on and fought – that’s what leaders are all about. There’s no teamwork, no structure and that’s what cost us. We won games because of individual brilliance, not because we dominated. Our coach is not doing his job at all. Congratulations to Chiefs for beating Sundowns. It’s not all about quality and Gavin Hunt has shown that. He had a plan and knew that going pound-for-pound with Sundowns, you can’t win. Look how Chiefs closes spaces when they mark, how they regroup when they lose the ball. That’s what is lacking at Pirates and, for heaven’s sake, Zinnbauer is doing nothing about it. Once and Always. Mokgobu Mashilo Edwin, Bochum, Ga-Kobe

It seems there is nothing special about Hlatshwayo. It is just that he was playing for a small team in Wits. He makes mistake left, right and centre. Mind you, he is making mistakes without Bucs fans. What will happen when fans are brought back? Jele should play with Nyauza at centre-back while Monyane or Jooste play at right back. Maela must play at left back as usual. Mako should play as a number 10 or an impact player. Pirates need to look for the best left back if they cannot use Sam. Please get that Sekgota player from Swallows. Ace Mfuntana, Bizana

BAFANA COACH – HINT, HINT

There you go again. How do you call a press conference without having an agreement in place with the person you are going to hire? Do the SAFA honchos know anything about football administration? They even lack basic knowledge of performing their tasks. They took for granted that Carlos Quiroz will accept the Bafana Bafana job just because he is not attached to any team. What goes around comes around. Remember how SAFA relieved him of his duties after taking Bafana to the Afcon quarterfinals in Mali and qualified for the 2002 World Cup. Jomo went on to take glory in that World Cup. These SAFA officials are taking us for a ride. There is no coach who is going to agree to the mandate of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup at such a short notice. They failed to prepare for 2022 six years ago. They should be preparing for the 2026 World Cup now. But then again, SAFA is not capable of having any vision. One of the best and honourable things to do is to stop running that association as a political party. All politicians at SAFA House must be removed and only people with football knowledge must be voted to occupy those positions, particularly people who have played the game and have the ability to run a football association. Unless that happens, we will continue to be the laughing stock of the football fraternity. Thabang Lehoko, via email

The announcement of the hiring of the new national team coach, which was due on Saturday, was postponed citing COVID-19 travel restrictions. It means the next Bafana coach comes from abroad. I’ll be quite shocked and disappointed if SAFA hire Carlos Quiroz because the man didn’t deliver anything last time out. It would mean that the country is taking a step backwards instead of trying to move forward. Herve Renard can be the perfect candidate because he’s done it all in Africa, knows the ins and outs of African players and has achieved a lot. Mr Renard once did the unthinkable with the Zambian national team. Last time, SAFA did a mistake by re-hiring Stuart Baxter because when he was in charge, he didn’t achieve anything and Mr Renard was waiting for SAFA to take him, but instead, SAFA said the coach was expensive and hired the untested Molefi Ntseki because he was cheap labour. Can SAFA at least, just for once, think about the nation, not about their bonuses! We as supporters ask just for one thing, to give us a successful coach who’s achieved a lot in the game, not because he was assistant to Alex Ferguson and coached Real Madrid. The money is there because we know about the 2010 Legacy funds. The SAFA executive committee refused to resign, so they mustn’t just hire anyone who’s available just for the sake of hiring. The qualifiers are just in few weeks’ time, so please, SAFA, don’t give us that old song of “we’re still building” because we’re tired of it! Sibusiso Khumalo, Melmoth, KZN

I’m concerned by recent revelations that the preferred Bafana Bafana candidate coach, who was supposed to be announced last week, is a foreigner from Europe judging by the announcement that because of travel restrictions he couldn’t be announced. Most of the football community, experts and the technical committee have suggested that a local coach would be a better suit considering the amount of time we have before the World Cup qualifiers. But yet again, SAFA president Danny Jordaan remains obdurate in doing as he pleases, taking the nation down. I just hope the Minister of Sport can do something. Thulani Wogqoyi, Frankfort, eDonqaba

Quick One-Two’s

Let me congratulate my beloved in-form Usuthu for yet another win against Galaxy. With this win, we now have 44 points, which is history on its own as we have never managed to collect so many points since the PSL’s inception As I normally say to my friends who are football fanatics like me, come next season, I will be competing in the CAF Champions League with the likes of Moise Katumbi’s TP Mazembe and J.S Kabyile. May blood will forever be Green and White till I die. Hebe Usuthu! Frank Gwala, Ace Mnikathi Branch, Hammarsdale

Sfiso Hlanti’s new registered name of “Sandile” must be scrutinized. This reminds us of the scandal of Lovers “Jethro” Mohlala, where different pseudo names were used by the notorious Mohlala. Fraud is a serious crime. The Soccer Laduma crew must help us to prove this case of Hlanti. Evangelist Makwela, Klipgat

I am a bit disappointed with our DStv Premiership top scorers lately. At the beginning of the season, the likes of Gamildien, Grobler and Zwane started like a house on fire and we thought this is the season when one of our top scorers will reach the 20-goal mark, but now, at the rate at which they are going, it might be even difficult to reach 15 goals for the top scorer. The only player who seems to be consistent is Thabiso Kutumela – even he is still on less than 10. I understand that some of them have missed some games because of injuries, but let’s not use that as an excuse. We should still be able to have one striker with more than 15 goals every season. One of the reasons given for this low turnout of goals is that the defenders are better organized, but compare that with some of the best leagues in the world where defences are more organized than in our DStv premiership and yet season in and season out, their strikers are scoring an avalanche of goals. Hopefully we find a solution to this goalscoring problem soon. Sundani Ratombo, Chiawelo

Football is very strange, you know. Fellow South Africans, just check this: Sundowns became the second team in South Africa to win the CAF Champions League and Super Cup after Pirates. Sundowns were the second team in Mzansi to win a treble after Pirates. Only Pirates have won back-to-back trebles in SA. Only Pirates have played in both the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup finals in SA. So, in everything that Pirates are achieving, Sundowns become the second team to achieve it. Why is Manqoba Mngqithi always praising Rhulani Mokoena every time they win a game? Something wrong here is that the guy is not the same Rhulani who failed at Pirates and Chippa. Watch your back, Steve Komphela, they are conspiring against you. Patrick Mbuyane, Clau Clau, Nelspruit

This season has been very interesting, such that it fulfils the popular saying that football is a beautiful game. More recently, we had our own Thobejane coming up with: “Football can kill you the real death.” Who imagined Schalke 04 would be relegated with four games still to be played, with only 13 points in 30

games, changing and chopping coaches along the way? This is not just one of the teams in Bundesliga but a giant. Seeing them falling like this leaves us with more questions than answers. In Serie A, Inter Milan is walking away with the league, while Juventus’ dominance is diminishing since their former great player, Andre Pirlo, became the manager. In LaLiga, there’s tight competition with Barca, Real and Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid taking all the spotlight at the summit of the standings. In the EPL, who imagined Liverpool would struggle like this, not evening challenging for the league, while losing most home games, with Sheffield going down with little to no fight for their status? In the PSL, Chiefs have been struggling in the league but ended Sundowns’ unbeaten run, while qualifying for the CAF Champions League quarter final. Hey, madoda, this football… Kwazikwakhe Ngcobo, via email

While the attempted European Soccer League has failed to materialise this time, football should brace itself for something similar in the future. FIFA and UEFA didn’t prevent it from happening, supporters did. The super club owners have money and can create an independent structure if supporters don’t oppose them. FIFA threatened to ban players from the Super League from participating in World Cups. This is dangerous because players are employed by clubs, not FAs and FIFA. If FIFA doesn’t set up measures now to prevent something similar in the future, what is happening in cricket with players having to choose between playing for their countries and playing for T20 franchises could happen in football. However, football could suffer irreparable damage. Infantino wants a Super League for African teams, but African teams simply don’t have the kind of money that would require and their different league cycles would complicate things further. Either way, football today is already too sophisticated, it doesn’t need super leagues.

Akhona Ndletyana, Cape Town

I think it is safe to say that the plan to have the European Super League has collapsed. The plan was always questionable, with only 12 teams that were going to benefit, with no fear of being relegated. There are too many competitions already and the UEFA Champions League caters for the teams that finished in top positions in their respective leagues. Whoever was going to sponsor this competition must take that money, follow proper channels and invest it in football. Surely the teams need it after the impact of this pandemic. They must do that f they really have the game’s best interests at heart. I like the stance of FIFA and UEFA. And what about the fans, who showed that the last say comes from them. No fans, no football, after all. As South African fans, we can take a leaf out of the book of these English fans. Instead of making noise about the decisions that are always not suiting us, we should take it to the streets and act. For example, we have been unhappy about the SAFA board and their decision-making for too long now. Our club bosses do as they please at any given time. And what about this annoying rule that gives a team that finishes in position 15 in the DStv Premiership a second chance by partaking in the play-offs? Siyabonga Nkalambela, Delft

Last week, I was catching up on MLS highlights and was so pleased to see fans at the games. You could tell from the seating arrangement that there were all the COVID-19 protocols in place, with some fans even wearing masks. It got me thinking why the fans are still bared from attending PSL matches. I understand the government will cite advice from scientists for their position, but come to think of it, people travel by taxi daily, attend church and there are even some entertainment events. These are usually in confined spaces with limited ventilation. How bad can 10 000 people at Peter Mokaba or Kings Park Stadium be compared to the examples above? Is it because fans don’t have the same clout as pastors? Or maybe the feeling is that fans don’t matter? People have given up so many of their freedoms due to Covid, so everyone would appreciate something to take their mind off things. Politicians can go to their holiday homes, believers can go to church, but football lovers would get the same sensation from watching a live match. I plead with governments to stop copying everything from Europe, as conditions are different. People need something to take their minds off their daily struggles. Allow fans back. It can’t be any worse than the church services that are now allowed. Buyani Fakudze, Mbabane

Congratulations to EPL side Norwich City, who were promoted to the EPL with five games to spare. Credit goes to coach Daniel Farke and forward Teemu Pukki, who remained with the team when it was relegated to the lower division and travailed to bring it back. After the Canaries were demoted, the duo could have found more lucrative deals elsewhere, but they remained grounded for the love of their team. It was all about trust and loyalty. A lesson is hereby learnt that coaches and players alike should loyally and trustfully remain with their teams in good and bad times. Another personification of loyalty and trust is Paulus Masehe, who has been serving Ea Lla Koto with distinction over many years. It remains somewhat of a marvel that, at 37, the veteran defender is still passionate about playing and inspiring young players. We wish the Free State Stars management would consider commissioning a statue for this legend after retirement. To such loyal and trustful footballing characters like Masehe, Farke and Pukke, we owe a huge debt of gratitude. When loyalty and trust are traded between club management, coach and players, then positive results are achieved.