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By Herrold Lamola In the most recent past- players were flocking in their numbers to the Mamelodi Sundowns headquarters- Chloorkop- to put a pen to paper and earn fat salaries for sharing their body temperatures with plastic seats on the bench. Contrary to that- players are now opposing the traffic- willing to leave the most successful team in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) era and take salary cuts at the so called small teams. I have it on good authority that the most influential players at Sundowns are more than prepared to leave Chloorkop because of the alleged ‘iron fist ruling’ by Pitso Mosimane. Players are seeking for freedom at a new and different environment away from Chloorkop. Themba Zwane, Tiyani Mabunda and Tebogo Langerman are yet to commit to Sundowns as their current contracts are set to expire in June next year. Khama Billiat has made it clear that he won’t renew his contract at Sundowns. Bafana Ba Style were signing everything and anything that moves- b

By Herrold Lamola In a country where one blames the other- allow me to applaud Oscarine Masuluke- for defying the odds and score that spectacular goal that earned him a spot at the Puskas awards held in October. Masuluke’s goal is not just one of those wonder goals but one of those once in life time incidents. The old adage - keep the best for last- the lanky shot stopper kept his overhead kick for the last minute of the match. Goal scoring is not a problem in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) but goals scorers are. If Masuluke can do it- what makes strikers to fail so dismally? Strikers can surely take a leaf out of Masuluke’s book. He proved that South Africans are capable of doing it. We can be as optimistic about it- but there is a huge goal scoring crisis in the country now- more than ever. The latest versions of goalless draws have opened the old cans of worms. I think I chose not to see the problem when we had a weekend of goalless draws after an international brea

By Herrold Lamola The four time Premier Soccer League winning mentor- Gavin Hunt- is not oblivious of the fact that; winning a title is more easier than defending it. It has been twenty-one odd years, since the inception of the Premier Soccer League, and seven teams have won the 'Big Handles' title. Manning Rangers was the first team to lay their hands on the most prestigious title in South African football in 1996\97 season. Santos, Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, Supersport United and the defending champions went on to become victors. Only four of the aforementioned winners have managed to defend the trophy. Tshwane is the most successful city in the PSL era- with the two Tshwane giants in Sundowns and Supersport boasting ten league titles between themselves. The successful club in this era- Sundowns- has won the title back to back twice along with their rivals Pirates. Hunt knows how to defend the title as he did in his hatrick with Supersport Unite

By Herrold Lamola Greatest pleasures in life never grow old… It was mid-year in 2011- just after the maiden Carling Cup clash between the Soweto giants, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, when Benni McCarthy nearly sent me into the psychiatric hospital with his comments that required age restriction and parental guidance. In his interview with Soccer Laduma- Cape Town City coach alluded that “Playing a derby is better than sex.” Surely sitting in the dugout is also better than sex. McCarthy was emotionally involved in the game for his first derby as a coach. McCarthy has one derby under his belt as a coach- following his 2-0 victory over Ajax Cape Town earlier this season. I do not share Benni’s sentiments- hence I nearly made an appointment with a psychiatric psychologist after reading his interview. You can imagine what this has done to my former self- a guy who has just stumbled past his teenage years. Benni made these comments prior to signing a contract with Pirat

By Herrold Lamola  I know it is a bit of a cliché but Mamelodi Sundowns mentor, Pitso Mosimane, has himself to blame for the slump that his side is going through. Mamelodi Sundowns has lost three consecutive matches for the first time since Mosimane took over from the Dutch legend- Johan Neeskens- in 2012. Mosimane has blamed either match officials or opponents when results aren’t forth coming. More often than not- Mosimane is right- always has his finger pointed at someone- but the truth is, he is the one who instigated Sundowns misfortunes. In his words “We never score when Khama Billiat is not on the pitch.” True to Pitso’s word: Khama has featured rarely this season due to injuries and Sundowns wasn’t the same team that opponents feared the most. Pitso blamed Kaizer Chiefs winger, Joseph Molongoane, for the absence of Billiat after his side’s loss to Amazulu. ‘Jingles’ says things that he shouldn’t be saying in the media. Billiat is a good player but- saying Sundowns

By Malose Wa Ga Lamola Kaizer Chiefs coach, Steve Komphela and manager Bobby Motaung. (Picture; Backpage pic) Kaizer Chiefs supporters are baying for the club mentor, Stephen Komphela’s blood, amid a stuttering start to the season. Steve Komphela knows very well that, this columnist- is not a fan of his impeccable English that loses translation somewhere along the line. The former Kaizer Chiefs captain himself; Komphela is familiar with the club’s culture and the pressures that come with leading a team of Chiefs’ caliber. He tried to calm the situation after a 2-1 loss to Supersport United at FNB Stadium when the fans were calling for him to step down. Chiefs supporters were chanting the infamous “Steve must go.” The fire spitting fans would be more than happy to take home the burden of a loss- as long they were assured Steve was resigning that night. It went from bad to worse when they started to throw objects at Steve and dropping the words you wouldn’t hear in church.

By Malose Wa Ga Lamola The most important and influential player at Mamelodi Sundowns, Teko Modise is set to bid farewell to his club and go for greener pastures somewhere else- in his quest for a regular game time. Those who came before me said; life beggins at 40 and Modise is fast approaching the membrane of the middle age. At his age he can't be willing to play week in and week out. Soon his legs will give in- he should be happy that his coach still gives him some time on the pitch. With the talent at Sundowns' disposal- Modise has to be guiding the youngsters instead of competing with them. His experience and presence at Sundowns have a domino effect as they seek to retain the Caf Champions League title.  He is a menace midfielder and still adds value at Sundowns. Modise was tailored to lead, rule, pause and restart the game. His silky touches saw him winning the PSL player of the season back to back. To this day he is the only player to win the prest

By Herrold Lamola With the ever dragging announcement of Shakes Mashaba's successor- My pondering question has always been...will these speculations not affect the clubs that the mentioned coaches are currently contracted to? The race to succeed Shakes Mashaba has been thrown wide open with Stuart Baxter's name now coming to the fore. He is now seems to be the main man to replace Mashaba at Nasrec. Supersport United mentor- Stuart Baxter- is heavily linked with a possible return to Nasrec and take the Bafana Bafana reins. The Brit will be taking charge of the South African senior national team for the second time should the on going negotiations materialise. Baxter's first spell with the national team was a 18-months stay between 2004 and 2005. Baxter feels one year and six months in charge of the national team was not enough. "I would have liked more time with the national team, to try and get people to understand what we need to move our game forward." Mr B

By Herrold Lamola Kermit Erasmus has the potential to be one of the country's greatest exports ever. Erasmus has shown glimpses of a future star and has what it takes to crack in to the so called 'superstars' club. In 2007, Kermit Erasmus was named by World Soccer Magazine as one of the best 50 young footballers to watch. The magazine was absolutely on point as most of the juniors they spotted as promising youngsters went on to become household names. You have to be under the age of 20 to be considered. Erasmus' name appeared alongside the likes of Gareth Bale, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Toni Kroos, Sergio Aguero, Juan Mata, Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria. A decade later all of the above mentioned are world class footballers. My question is: “What went wrong Romeo?” Erasmus is undoubtedly talented. “ Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work .” – Steven King Kermit has what it takes t

By Herrold Lamola CONGRATULATIONS are in order to Mamelodi Sundowns MultiChoice Diski Challenge (MDC) side for clinching yet another title. They won the MultiChoice International tournament in the Netherlands following a 1-0 victory over Ichifuna Football Club. The Chloorkop-based outfit have mirrored the success of their senior side. The Brazilians clinched their first ever MultiChoice Diski Challenge title in three seasons - earning them a ticket to the International MultiChoice tournament. Surely the success of their first team has rubbed off on to the junior side. Pitso Mosimane's men were in Korea to honour their FIFA Club World Cup fixtures late last year and the juniors are in celebratory mood in the Netherlands following their victory. The man who was part of the Reserve Leauge side barely two seasons ago has now won the Champions League and scored a wonder goal at the Club World Cup. Percy Tau is truly serving as an inspiration to those lads he used to share a dressin

By Herrold Lamola The South African Football Association (SAFA) has kept us all guessing. Who will replace Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba? Members of the media were speculating about the best possible candidates. I can't use my precious time and add to the speculations. Although we don't know yet who is coming in to replace Bra Shakes, believe me when I say Bafana Bafana is in good hands. The interim coach (Owen Da Gama) will be in charge for the upcoming international friendlies against Angola and Guinea-Bissau. Owen Da Gama named a well expected 25-Man squad last- the media and the public are both signing his praises. At the very media conference where he was announcing his squad, Da Gama pleaded with the media to rally behind the boys and boost their confidence. Unlike Mashaba, who had a habit of picking fights with members of the Fourth Estate, Owen chose to work with journalists. I can't really say Owen has read that SAFA 'Love letter' about the requirem

By Herrold Lamola It is now only a distant dream. Many years ago Orlando Pirates were the dominant force in South African football. Those ruthless teams also reached two African finals in three years. That infamous Pirates side that won the infamous double-treble has long since gone. Pirates won their first treble in 2011 under Ruud Krol. The next season they repeated the feat. The difference between that squad and the current crop of players is commitment. One can say the current squad has no leaders but that for me is a NO-NO. What about Oupa Manyisa, Thabo Matlaba, Happy Jele and Brighton Mhlongo? These lads should stand up and be counted when their team needs them. The players need to remember what it means to don the famous black and white jersey. That skull on the jerseys next to their hearts. They should learn from previous generations. There isn’t any unity in the team and it shows. Oupa Manyisa played in that double-treble winning squad. However, since the departure of An

By Herrold Lamola Mamelodi Sundowns and Bloemfontein Celtic are out to dethrone the reigning MultiChoice Diski Challenge champions, Golden Arrows as the kings of the Diski Challenge. With a mere two games to spare in the Multichoice Diski Challenge league, Golden Arrows are certain to lose their title this season. The title race is still open for the top four sides to grab. Bloemfontein Celtic, Mamelodi Sundowns, Bidvest Wits and Kaizer Chiefs can still clinch the Diski championship as only five points separates number one and number four on the log.  A real fight is between Mamelodi Sundowns and Bloemfontein Celtic though. Mamelodi Sundowns title aspirations have suffered a minor dent last week Sunday when they drop valuable two-points after playing to a 1-1 draw against Free State Stars. Bloemfontein Celtic deposed Sundowns from the summit of the log table after collecting maximum points from their 3-2 victory against Orlando Pirates. Sundowns is now one point adrift log leaders