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Showing posts from October, 2013

For heaven's sake, just let the girls play

Valuable play time. . . Girls should enjoy playing netball and other sports without any hindrance. When the Currie Cup final between Western Province and Sharks and the Soweto Derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates hogged the headlines last week, a new sporting feat for South Africa happened with very little attention being paid to it. The national netball team, the Proteas, where in action in Port Elizabeth, in a series featuring Trinidad-and-Tobago and old nemesis England. After losing 39-49 to England in an earlier match in the series, the Proteas on Friday brought the curtain down on the proceedings with a hard-fought 39-37 victory over England to clinch the tournament. This was SA's first victory over highly ranked England in 14 years, and that the feat went unnoticed by most of the public clearly indicate the predicament netball and women's sports in general are facing in South Africa. This indicates the depth to which women's games have fallen, des

World Cup glory beckons for Pirates

Aiming high. . . Orlando Pirates sextet of Oupa Manyisa, Thabo Matlaba, Happy Jele, Rooi Mahamutsa, Sfiso Myeni and Andile Jali will be most glad to play in the Fifa Club World Cup in December.   ONE crucial factor the soccer public in South Africa is overlooking about Orlando Pirates' potential success in the CAF Champions League is that the reward is bigger than the $1.5million (R15m) first prize, or the much-vaunted "Second Star". The ultimate prize however for Pirates winning the Africa championship will be the chance to play in the Fifa Club World Cup in December. The Fifa tournament is the lofty heights of club football. It was not existant in 1995 when Pirates were crowned Africa champion. After a modest beginnings in 2000 in Brazil, today the Fifa Club World Cup is a prestigeous one-week tournament offering big financial rewards to the qualifying continental champions. The top prize comes at a hefty $5 million, but even finishing last - seventh - is not sha