ShakingInk

By Malose Wa Ga Lamola The narration of Kaizer Chiefs benefitting from referee blunders, has been one of the dominating lines all season long. With the current campaign suspended due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, will The Glamour Boys benefit should the season not resume? It is becoming an international trend to ask for leagues to declare teams at the top as champions, with Chiefs currently in the driving seat locally. Also Read: Taking Sundowns To Infinity And Beyond Can the PSL board of governors give Chiefs the 'big ears' with seven games to go? Declaring the season null and void will also hit many in the pockets. Supporters have spent their hard-earned pennies on tickets and taxi fares to stadiums. Sponsors have coughed out millions to keep the league running. The only beneficiaries in this scenario will be Mamelodi Sundowns. Downs will retain the Absa Premiership title if the season is declared null and void. With all these uncertainties at play, the ...

Kaizer Chiefs mentor Ernst Middendorp             (Picture by Backpage Pix) By Malose Wa Ga Lamola Ernst Middendorp has reverse engineered Giovanni Solinas blunders and Kaizer Chiefs is back to where it belongs, at the top. The German mentor is the man Chiefs needed to rise above the clutter. Perhaps the players understand his philosophy better due to his language. Language barrier was the major factor in his predecessor's failures. Chiefs had no structure and direction under Solinas. Read: Chiefs star on Ntseki's plans Middendorp has had a full pre-season with the team and he has surely instilled his ideas in the squad. Big teams barely give coaches mandates. When a coach accept a job at a big club his mandate is automatically to win titles. Middendorp is no different to his counterparts at Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates. Though it was unrealistic to expect Chiefs to challenge for hounors this season after finishing in the botto...

By Malose Wa Ga Lamola The Carling Cup has been glorified as the most unique tournament in the world- but the truth is- there is nothing extra ordinary about the competetition. South Africans must be sober minded to take football in the country foward. This is nothing much than promoting the biggest two teams in the country. Soweto derby needs no markerting- it is the most firce rivalry in our domestic calender. Telkom Charity cup was sacrificed for the most exaggerated competition. We should let go of the pretence. There is no logic in pretending this beer tournament is benefiting anyone- except the breweries. Four teams that participated in the one day Telkom Charity spectaculer have been trimmed to two. Black Label is using the same method used by Telkom by allowing fan participation. Football supporters were voting for their teams to take part in the charity cup- by no virtue of coincidence- Black Label urges fans to vote for their favourite player. In both competetions ...

By Malose Wa Ga Lamola When Khama Billiat swapped the blue and yellow stripes of Mamelodi Sundowns with the famous gold and black of Kaizer Chiefs- many expected him to change Amakhosi's fortunes instantly- but even reality has it's boundaries. Although Billiat is yet to win any piece of Silverware with the Naturena based outfit- his presence has be felt at the club. Chiefs cannot afford to trade Billiat for any amount of money. A player of Billiat's calibre will always attract interest from all corners of the world but Chiefs can't let go of their star player. No team is a one man team but one man can make a team tick. Chiefs has not won a trophy in three seasons- and with their backs against the wall Billiat has to rise to the occasion and be counted on. The Zimbabwean international has blown hot and cold in his two season stay at Chiefs. The once mighty Amakhosi needs his form to end their unwanted streak of trophy drought. Billiat can cause havoc to any tea...

By Malose Wa Ga Lamola The city of Tshwane has disowned midfielder- George Lebese- after he crossed the Juksei river to the north of Jozi to join Mamelodi Sundowns from Kaizer. Lebese joined his boyhood club but had it difficult to break into the star-studded line up. He didn't have to look far as he swapped the yellow jersey with the blue and white of Supersport United. It wasn't a smooth sail at Matsantsa a Pitori though. His loan spell with the three times Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions- and the club opted against aquiring his services on a permanent deal. Lebese was expected to return to Sundowns this season- but from this vintage point- Lebese is not ready to compete for a spot at Chloorkop. There where high fives and fist bumps as the people of Tshwane rejoiced the return of the prodigal son. Lebese was outspoken about his bitter relationship with coach Pitso Mosimane. Perhaps his utterances have burnt bridges with the mentor and their relationship is beyond...

By Malose Wa Ga Lamola When John Commitis bought Mpumalanga Black Aces back in 2015- a little was expected- from the relocated and renamed club. Not a big fan of club sales myself- but Cape Town City- gave the people of Cape Town a sense of belonging. Commitis appointed Eric Tinkler to lead his team. Tinkler's two seasons stay at City exceeded expectations. Surely Commitis must have had a headache of finding Tinkler's successor. But he couldn't have appointed any other better man to take charge of his club than Benni Mccarthy. McCarthy has taken City to new heights. The future looks bright for a team that has a Capetonian coach and a drive to play a total brand of footbal. City is set to lock horns with Kaizer Chiefs at Mbombela Stadium- in a fierce Nedbank Cup quarter-finals clash. With the two sides having already met twice this season- each team claiming victory at their own backyard- this match will be more than a grudge encounter. Benni has outdone himself ...

By Malose Wa Ga Lamola The gap is narrowly closing between the so-called giants and the small teams in the Absa Premiership. For a team of AmaZulu FC’s stature to hold a star-studded Mamelodi Sundowns to a 3-all draw in the six-goal thriller shows that money can’t buy you success.  Although, Sundowns fielded most of their fringe players, those players are quality as compared to the regulars at the Durban-based club. It came as no shock to me because football is not played on paper but on a hardened turf. Head Coach, Cavin Johnson’s charges didn't show too much respect to the reigning PSL champions and that fighting spirit yielded them results. Usuthu gave Pitso Mosimane’s men a run for their money. The big teams aren't becoming weak, but the minnows are stronger now. There will be plenty of surprises this season compared to the previous once.  Usuthu travels to the bright lights of Jozi to face the glittering Glamour Boys. Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundow...

By Herrold Lamola  (Lamola_eitcHDee) Sandton- Football officials, coaches, fans and friends gathered to pay their final respects to Theodore 'Ted' Dumitru at the Ellis Park Arena (Standard Bank Arena) in Johannesburg yesterday. Dumitru, who died last week, will be buried this weekend. Master Ted as he was affectionately known was born in Bucharest, Romania. He came to Africa in 1980 to lead Zambian National Team. Master Ted has helped the Zambian team qualify for the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations. Master Ted joined South African giants, Kaizer Chiefs, in 1985 to take over the coaching reins. Dumitru and football development were match made in heaven.  His contribution towards football development in the country began in 1982 when he established the Chibuku Youth Centre at Orlando Stadium in Soweto. The centre became a big success, receiving raving reviews from FIFA Coach Instructors. Hundreds of fans broke into song and applause as speaker after speaker spoke warmly about the...