ShakingInk

By Herrold Lamola  (@Lamola_eitcHDee) South Africa will come to a standstill when its two biggest stars lock horns at FNB Stadium this Saturday afternoon - kick of at 15:00. Orlando Pirates will host their arch-rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, in a much anticipated Soweto derby. FNB Stadium is expected to be filled to capacity when the two giants face-off. Although Chiefs usually  use FNB Stadium as their home ground, their rivals will have enjoy home-ground-advantage. Both sets of fans will demand that their teams deliver them the post-match bragging rights. This about more than three points. As Bill Shankly once said: "Football is not a matter of life and death, it’s much more important than that." A Soweto derby is one of those games that you can feel that this is more important than life and death. Those who back these two giants know only too well its importance. Kaizer Chiefs have a superior record over Orlando Pirates - having beaten them 24 times and lost 13 of their P

By Herrold Lamola (@Lamola_eitcHDee) Bafana Bafana coach, Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba, has announced his 25-men squad to take on Senegal in a 2018 World Cup qualifiers encounter and this is the legit squad he has ever assembled since taking the reins in July 2014. Shakes is under a severe pressure as he failed to qualify for the 2017 Cup of Nations finals. He has to qualify for the 2018 Fifa World Cup in order to save his head from the chop. His mandate with the South African Football Association (SAFA) was to qualify for both the Afcon and World Cup but he has already missed out on one which makes his life difficult and he must top the group. Shakes has collected a single valuable point away in Burkina Faso earlier this month following a 1-1 draw with the Stallions. A team that concedes a goal in the last minute of the game after surviving two penalties has no qualities to qualify for the world cup. South Africa has no squad that can take on the powerhouses of football at

By Herrold Lamola (@Lamola_eitcHDee ) Teko Modise has re-written a well documented story in media circles. The 'Bad luck carrier' story has made headlines in the past but Teko has written a new chapter that changes the entire book. One of the most criticized players of his generation, Teko 'Google Earth' Modise, was less fortunate earlier in his career. Modise made a belated breakthrough at SuperSport United before securing a big move to Orlando Pirates in 2007. Modise was labelled a 'carrier of bad luck' by the media and the public in large. His move from Supersport United to Orlando Pirates meant he would miss out as Gavin Hunt’s side won three consecutive League titles in 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10. Modise was one of the fan favourite footballers in South Africa during his stay at Orlando Pirates. Despite his name rising above his peers, Modise couldn't help Orlando Pirates to win any title on offer. His silky skills went unnoticed as he was

By Herrold Lamola  (@Lamola_eitcHDee) Continental success is more than just a star above the team's logo. Premier Soccer League (PSL) will have more spots in CAF competitions should Mamelodi Sundowns win the African Champions League against Zamalek on Sunday evening in Alexandria. Twenty years down the line, one can confidently say victory is certain. With Mamelodi Sundowns now being just 90 minutes adrift continental success, Mosimane must be on cloud nine as he is taking a healthy 3-0 lead to Egypt for the second leg of a two legged final against Zamalek in Alexandria, on Sunday evening. 'It is not over yet' as many would say but Sundowns has to be at their worst to give away their lead. Also read:http://ibsoccer.tv/psl-maintain-four-caf-spots/ Mosimane has always lambasted South Africans on how ignorant they can be when it comes to continental competitions.  South Africans didn't disappoint though as they came out in their numbers to paint Luc

By Herrold Lamola  (@Lamola_eitcHDee ) History was against Mamelodi Sundowns when they took on Egyptian giants Zamalek at Lucas 'Masterpieces' Moripe stadium in Atteredgeville on Saturday afternoon in a much anticipated Caf Champions League first leg of the two legged final. Although statistics were in favour of the visitors, football is not a game that is played on paper. It is very rare on the history of Caf Champions League to defeat a team in the group stages of the tournament and do it again in the finals. Sundowns made a double against Zamelek in the group stages with a 2-1 away and 1-0 home  victories over the White Knights but that didn't guarantee them a win on Saturday in the final. In the past the teams that have emerged victorious in the group stages have not manage to carry  their group stages success to the finals. One can confidently say plenty of the group successful teams choked in the finals. Sundowns overcame all the obstacles they have met in th

By Herrold Lamola  (@Lamola_eitcHDee) South African Football Association (Safa) Technical Director, Neil Tovey, has suffered another heart-attack on Sunday afternoon. The Association's Head of Communications, Dominic Chimhavi, released a statement confirming the news. Chimhavi reported that Mark Tovey (Neil’s brother) confirmed the incident, saying that the former Bafana Bafana captain was in critical condition and doctors were battling to stabilise him. Tovey has captained Bafana Bafana in 1996 when they clinch the only prestigious title. 'Mokoko' as he is affectionately known has also won the league title with Mamelodi Sundowns in 2005/06 season as a co-coach with Miguel Gamondi. “He suffered a heart attack while training this afternoon (Sunday) and was rushed to a hospital. We await the doctor’s report and the next few hours are going to be critical,” said Mark Tovey. Safa President, Dr Danny Jordaan, said he was shocked to learn about the occurrence and wish