Tsamaya
This week’s soccer buzz
● The funny bones of Tsamayas detectives were tickled when a blast from the past Alex Shakoane emerged from under a stone-age rock to resume the communications director duties at Mamelodi Sundowns.
The detectives were worried about how the motormouth of yesteryear was going to deal with his allergy to the technology highway seeing that the fax machine was the tool of choice in his heyday, 1920.
The concerns were confirmed during an investigation when Shakoane was overheard asking a Tsamaya constable to send him the internet. Urm, e-mail, anyone?
● Shakoane looked snazzy in a grey ensemble when he made an appearance to promote the Shell Ultra Cup on SABC1’s Soccerzone on Monday night.
Shakoane, who is often spotted next to billionaire Sundowns boss Patrice Motsepe, is rolling in the fat if his expanding girth is anything to go by. That jacket button was literally and figuratively hanging by a thread.
Shakoane must join his Chiefs counterpart, fitness fanatic Vina Maphosa on the road in a bid to shed the extra kilos. Maphosa played it safe
● Maphosa came close to being the club mascot with his colour combination: gold pants. Black jacket.
The man is truly a walking extension of the gold and black brand. Khosi!
● By the way, the tedious, three per finger gold rings have been retired. Shakoane’s fingers could be heard screaming “free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last”.
● Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has won all but one trophy on offer in the Premier Soccer League.
The MTN8, which Mosimane won in its previous guise as the SAA Supa8 is proving elusive in its current incarnation as the MTN8.
“I don’t know why this trophy keeps on eluding us‚ I wish I knew,” he lamented after the 3-1 aggregate semifinal loss to crosstown rivals SuperSport United on Wednesday night. “Maybe we need a good sangoma here‚ what can I say‚” said Mosimane.
As part of smoking the peace pipe with traditional leader Mwelo Nonkonyane, Mosimane must ask the erstwhile Safa administrator to recommend a super sangoma to exorcise the MTN8 bad luck.
On one condition though: that the sangoma is not the one who claimed Nonkonyane never paid him after he allegedly consulted for Bafana.
● All you need is love! That’s how SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo explained how Thamsanqa Gabuza got his groove back after joining his team from Orlando Pirates in July. Gabuza’s form, which is peppered with four goals in eight matches, is a far cry from what he did at Bucs where he only netted 11 goals in six seasons in which he started 95 matches.
Tembo explained: “He fits very well in our structure because of his high work ethic and at the same time he needs to be appreciated and given a little bit of love as well."
So more love, more goals for Gabuza.