Sport Matters

Golden touch. . . Tout Pouissant Mazembe of DR Congo are African champions for the fifth time. LAST weekend when most of South Africa's soccer public was obsessing over the Soweto Derby, between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in the semifinals of the domestic cup called Telkom KO, a bigger cup story in Africa unfolded without much notice in SA. That's not unusual for SA, but this time someone powerful and influential has spoken. The chairman of both Orlando Pirates FC and SA's Premier Soccer League Irvin Khoza attended the final match in Lumbubashi last Sunday, when Mazembe beat USM Alger of Algeria 2-0 to take the title on 4-1 aggregate. The enthusiasm for the game in Congo has clearly revitalised Khoza, who this week warned South Africans to take Africa seriously. He's right. It does not make make sense that African football champions are crowned and yet up to 80 per cent of football followers in SA do not know about such a big moment, and yet we call o