Broos returns respect and the swag to Bafana

When Hugo Broos was announced in May 2021 as the new manager of the South African national football team, the news was received by sneers and jeers if not completely ignored by some of those it affected the most - the SA soccer fraternity. At the time Bafana Bafana, the national team, had not long been labelled a "bunch of losers" by the sports minister Fikile Mbalula. His words cut like a blunt knife, even though the truth is that Bafana were at the time hopeless and lacked confidence. It was fair-game for anyone, including the lowest-ranked nations, to meet Bafana because the chances of scoring a victory over the SA team were real and attainable. So, more than the sports minister, the nation was despondent over Bafana circumstances. Even Broos appointment, despite his known success on the continent, was slammed as that of an old man chasing an easy retirement fund. It was a tough job from the start for the Belgian - having to rouse the players from a comatose of low self-esteem, telling touchy soccer bosses the truths they don't want to hear and setting the media right about its lack of space in the technical forum deciding who to call up. Broos slowly worked his magic, as he appealed to the nation to stop making Bafana play home internationals in empty stadiums. The results turned positive, the fans returned to the stadium for the games and Bafana qualified for the 2023 Ivory Coast Cup of Nations (which played earlier this year) and the team returned home with bronze medals and huge smiles on their faces. Bafana Bafana have qualified for the 2025 Morocco Afcon in great style, topping their group with 14 points and no loss after six qualifying matches. The last qualifier, on Tuesday in Cape Town, was a celebration of entertaining football by Bafana and the love from the fans who packed the stadium to the rafters. Bafana Bafana are on the right track and looking the part with the swagger of champions in their step; one thing South Africans football fans had been missing for a long time until Hugo Broos came along.

The enemy within at Kaizer Chiefs

The new Premier Soccer League in South Africa is in its third week and already there's trouble at one of the biggest clubs, Kaizer Chiefs. The upheaval stems from within, thanks to the club's restless supporters. Restless is an understatement to describe a largely belligerent horde ready to trash and clobber, as they showed once again at Mbombela on Sunday 20 August after losing to TS Galaxy. Chiefs are not winning matches because they are goal-shy, scoring just 1 goal in their opening three matches of the league. That is not the scoring rate to win football matches. But instead of directing their anger to the team's forwards, and to some extent the rest of the outfield players, the supporters are blaming the coach and the goalkeeper. Chiefs No 1 keeper Brandon Peterson is a having a torrid time from the fans, despite his form saving the team from serious embarassment game after game. Against Galaxy last week a stopped four certain goal attempts, and earlier in the month he made seven saves against a rampant Sundowns. Chiefs lost both matches 1-0, but Peterson was loudly blamed by the supporters for the two defeats. But numbers show that the fans are barking up the wrong tree with their blame game. To date Chiefs have played 3 league matches, scoring 1 and conceding 3 with 1 point in the bag. It's messy numbers and they clearly call out the efforts of the strikers and their fellow outfield players. How do you win matches with a scoring rate of 1 goal per 3 matches? Where is the fault of the goalkeeper in this matter, more so that Peterson often fights alone in defence as his backline is leaking? Even the outcry over the new head coach Molefi Ntseki is misplaced; he has played just 4 matches so far, with 1 draw and 1 win in MTN 8 cup competition. By any reasonable assessment that does not translate to crisis. The crisis at the club at this stage is being fomented by the combative conduct of the supporters. Many pronounced on Ntseki early departure as soon as he was announced as the new head coach. That means these followers were never prepared to give their new coach a chance to settle into the position, which has turned out to be the hottest seat in the PSL. The team starts the new season with a new coach because of the same quarrelsome supporters who gave the previous coach, Arthur Zwane, a hellride in just his first season in charge. It was too much, and caused unnecessary panic as the club demoted Zwane. He did not do badly as he worked hard to build a team that was supposed to be unleashed in his second season. A system was beginning to be visible and his players appeared ready to die for Zwane, which augured well for the following season. Historically, Chiefs are not in the game of firing coaches willy-nilly; it's a new phenomenon which has been enforced by restless, antagonistic supporters. Ntseki is in charge now and that means the club's plan with Zwane was sabotaged by its followers. Earlier I said Chiefs panicked with their decison but they coud have removed Zwane to protect him and his honour as a club legend against a sustained onslaught by the supporters. Given the poisonous noise in the stands, bars and social media the players cannot be in the right state of mind knowing they are under attack from the club's followers.

No disgrace as Sekhukhune look forward to CAF

It was heartbreak all-round as Sekhukhune United lost in their maiden cup final in their short spell in the South African Premier League on Saturday. Eventual winners of the 2003 Nedbank Cup Orlando Pirates were runaway favourites ahead of the showdown at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. Despite that glorified tag, Pirates knew they were not going to have it that easy against the hugely improved Limpopo side, and they did struggle at Loftus before eventually running out 2-1 winners deep in injury time. Pirates also had to force a 1-1 draw at the break, via a late equaliser from the spot by Tapelo Xoki after a bizarre concession of a penalty by Victor Letsoalo. The experienced forward had been lying on the ground in his own penalty box, with Pirates forward Thembinkosi Lorch teasing him with the ball until Letsoalo stretched out his hand to pull back the ball. It was one of those ridiculous moments in football. Anyway, overall Sekhukhune gave it their all, giving Pirates and their majority supporters in the stands plenty of scary moments. Pound for pound, upfront Pirates outgunned United but the underdogs' backline displayed highly disciplined and committed defence play. Central defenders Daniel Cardoso and Edwin Gyimah, flanked by Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya and Nyiko Mobbie on the left and right flanks, showed great leadership qualities as they helped the team stay afloat during match-long onslaught by Pirates forwards. Overall, losing in the final was no disgrace for Sekhukhune who can also point to their top-8 finish in the league as another sign of progress - more so under Btandon Truter. Clearly one of the best coaching brains in the country, Truter dusted himself off after two largely incomprehensible sackings by Swallows and later AmaZulu. The club look to be in good hands going into the break ahead of the next season. Two strong strikers and two aggressive attacking midfielders is all Sekhukhune need going forward. And that's not all about this club's achievements this season. The story that has not been properly ahead of the Nedbank Cup final was that, win or lose, Sekhukhune had already qualified for continental football next season. The Nedbank Cup's winners qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup, with third-placed team in the league, this time SuperSport United. But because Pirates have already qualified for the more prestigious CAF Champions League by virtue of finishing second in the league, that means cup runners-up, which means Sekhukhune United this time around, qualify for the Confed. Congratulation are in order for Babina Noko and best wishes to them for new, bigger battles ahead.

South African teams fight lonely battles abroad and home

On May 10, South African football was represented in two international fixtures and got a lashing in both. In the first match, South Africa's premier league team Marumo Gallants lost 2-0 to Tanzania's Young Africans FC in the CAF Confederation Cup. The quarterfinal tie was played in a packed Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar es Salaam. In the other match, South Africa lost 5-0 to Senegal in the quarterfinals of the CAF Under-17 Championship currently on Algeria. While the national's team fate in the tournament is sealed, not only via a heavy defeat but with heavier reality that the country has failed in its quest to qualify for the Fifa U17 World Cup, Marumo still has another day to fight. On May 17, the Limpopo-based side will host Young Africans for the second leg of their semifinal clash at Royal Bafokeng in Rustenburg, North West province. What Marumo need is to win 2-0 on the day to force the fixture to penalties or end 90 minute with a 3-0 score in their favour to eliminate the Tanzanians outright. It will be a tough task but very much doable in football. What is more tough for Marumo and other teams representing South Africa in international football on the continent it's the apathy of the population back home. The U17 national team fought a lonely battle knowing that a vast majority of their compatriots did not know about it but a lot more footballs in SA knew about and watched the Milan derby the same evening. Even Marumo later this month, are aware the larger section of society, including the country's football fraternity, won't be in their hearts and minds when the match against Yanga kicks off at Royal Bafokeng. The stadium is most likely to be largely empty, compared to the vibe that shook Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Wednesday. These two matches clearly mark the level of apathy the South African public has reached in as far as connecting itself with what is important with this country - in sport and beyond. The scenario is now of a place that says do not count us anymore among those with ambition to achieve, and all that we want is to follow the progress in Europe. I lack further words to express my disappointed over the self-defeating spirit that has enveloped my nation. And for a sombre update of the blog, on Wednesday May 17 the misery of Marumo Gallants in CAF ConfedCup came to end on a chilly evening at Royal Bafokeng in Rustenburg. The world class stadium in the village of Phokeng turned out to be a happy gathering place for Tanzanian expatriates living in different cities of South Africa. Not all were Yanga supporters but were there to make sure the name of Tanzania is lifted sky-high, while for poor Marumo the evening sounded like they were back in Dar es Salaam. For the record it ended 2-1 in favour of Yanga, who won the semifinal fixture 4-1 on aggregate. To this minute not even a third of SA population knows what happened at Royal Bafokeng yesterday.

Sports open grand opportunities for girls

Magangeni Primary School in Malamulele, Limpopo, is a rural school with not so much to write about in terms of rescources and facilities. The school is well run and taken care of by its management, a fact which should be the standard for all schools. However, for a rural school in a community where girls come against great odds to get ahead in life, Magangeni has been doing great over the years. In November 2018, then 13-year-old Hlulani Baloyi was in the news for having earnt the right to represent South Africa in the spelling competition in Kenya. The following year a teacher from Magangeni, Florence Bekwa, received an award at the National Teachers’ Awards. In 2020 Bekwa clinched another national gong, with a brand new car as part of her prizes, for winning the excellence in primary school teaching prize award. Other female teachers at Magangeni Primary also excelled in the national teaching awards in 2015 and 2016. In 2021, a former Magangani pupil and agriculture academic, Hlami Ngwenya, received the Order of Baobab in Bronze from President Cyril Ramaphosa. Dr Ngwenya was cited for her work in in sustainable development, capacity building and empowering communities. Today another former Magangeni girl, Dumisani Chauke, is hard at work preparing the South African national team for the Netball World Cup to be hosted in Cape Town from July 28 to August 6. , Chauke, the Proteas assistant coach, is fully aware of the daunting task awaiting her team in the tournament, more so from powerhouses such as Australia, New Zealand, England and Jamaica. For that reason, the eloquent Chauke believes her team's best chance lies in being clinical by reducing their error rate and improving on conversion of turnovers. She's right. There's nothing wrong with the physical fitness and emotional intelligence of our players. One big factor the Proteas have in short supplies is the competitive aggression. It's there but not enough; our girls need to be more enterprising and daring to the brink of testing the rules during games. Our players' approach must be of warriors; stuff of the ladies can be taken care of after the matches when pleasantries are exchanged with the opposing sides. That's Chauke's emphasis in her role of preparing the team for the world cup, while the head coach Norma Plummer focuses on philosophy and strategy. Chauke knows full well what it means and entails to beat the odds, coming from the rural areas to holding a national position in the biggest sport for girls in South Africa. She is rightfully concerned about the participation of girls in sports, hence her involvement in the activitiies of netball development. Earlier this month, she was at Wendywood Primary School in Sandton, Johannesburg, for the launch of the Pep Mini Netball. Retail giant PEP says its involvement in the tournament is influenced by the quest to " extend its community reach to young girls". The need to promote netball mostly in poorer areas, where in some areas the game has completely disappeared, is growing fast. PEP's initiative will therefore not only help the schools' netball programmes but also the communities around the schools. For its launch year, the Mini Netball programme will only be in the Western Cape, Free State and Gauteng, for girls between the ages of 8 and 10. It is envisaged that apart from early introduction to critical foundation skills of the sport, the mini netball games will give the young girls an opportunity to stand proudly and aim high, subsequently boosting their self-esteem. PEP says in its statement announcing the initiative. Dumisani Chauke however is the living proof what playing sports can do for a girl. She started out playing basketball and soccer before adopting netball on fulltime basis from the age of 10. After her secondary education in Polokwane, she studied sports management at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Gqeberha (former Port Elizabeth), where she copntinued to play and coach netball. By the time she read for her postgraduate diploma in sports management at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), Dumisani was already a Prtoteas player. When she retired from international netball in 2014, she returned to NMMU to coach. In 2016, she was appointed assistant coach for the baby Proteas (under 20) before progressing to her current position as the senior national team's assistant coach. By the way, the Pep Mini Netball Festivals officially get underway on 15 April.

Great football name Higuita shines on through cycling star

Earlier today I settled down to a highlights package of major sports events which took place the previous day and I saw an interesting headline at the bottom of the screen: "Higuita claims Stage 5 in the Basque tour." Tour of the Basque Country is a major cycling event taking place right now, in the northern Spain region in the name of the contest. I'm not a cycling enthuiast even though I admire the athleticism of the cyclists making a career out of this sport. So what hooked me about Sergio Higuita, a name previously unknown to me, winning a stage in the Basque tour, is his last name.