ShakingInk

By Malose Wa Ga Lamola Suspension of the Absa Premiership has come at a huge cost with sponsors freezing finances during national lockdown, but Mamelodi Sundowns and Bidvest Wits can breath a sigh of relief, as Caf prepares to release funds earlier than anticipated. Caf usually pays off  intercontinental club competitions at the end of the season but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the football governing body decided to pay out a little earlier this time. Wits qualified to play in the Caf second tier competition by virtue of finishing third on the domestic log standings. Related Story : Why Sundowns Loan Out Development Graduates? Though, the then Bidvest Wits CEO Jose Ferreira is on record saying the confederations cup is not a 'priority' for The Clever Boys because of its financial straining, now the club will be smiling all the way to the Bidvest bank. "The costs of the Confederation Cup are a lot bigger than the costs of participating in the CAF Champi...

By Malose Wa Ga Lamola I don't have any reason to show any sympathy to the mediocre Bafana Bafana.  The only thing I am pity of- is this keyboard- I might have to see 'My friend'- a Pakistan national guy at my street corner to fix it after crashing all the keys of my PC. Like a guy who has been dumped by a girl of his dreams- my heart bleeds- everytime I think of the overrated Bafana Bafana. Bafana has failed to live up to their billing yet again. Stuart Baxter's men were hosted to a dull draw by Libya in front of their home supporters. Libya was a better side of the day and created more chances than  Bafana Bafana. Going into the half time break with only one shot on target was adequate to prove that Bafana was under performing. After failing so dismally to qualify for the 2018 Fifa World Cup finals- the least Bafana can offer us- is to qualify for the 2019 Afcon finals.  Amid their Saturday's performance- I don't see- this mediocre quali...

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 wh...

By Herrold Lamola (@Lamola_eitcHDee) Bafana Bafana mentor, Shakes Mashaba, might have survived the chop and still be in charge of the South African senior national team but he knows he is not the right man for the job. Shakes has failed dismally to take Bafana Bafana to the Afcon 2017. Bafana was supposed to qualify with a 100% record from an easy Group M with the likes of Gambia, Mauritania and Cameroon. One can argue that Cameroon is one of the African football powerhouses. This is not a Cameroon of yesteryear. The Indomitable Lions that would roar,kill and conquer.  'The limping indomitable Lions' as referred to the West African side on my previous blog, Cameroon is dead. A toothless and dying lion. Bafana managed to take a lead twice against Cameroon but failed to protect their lead on that two occasions away in Cameroon. Bafana had no reason not to qualify for the major continental show piece with such opponents in their group. Bafana Bafana had to do exactly what ...

By Herrold Lamola (@Lamola_eitcHDee) Dan 'Dance' Malesela gave the people of Port Elizabeth a reason to smile. Chippa United is playing a good brand of football with a South African flair. Malesela believes there is something special about the South, be it Southern Africa or South America. 'Dance' says the Southerns are 'entertainers'. "I believe football should be played according to a team's strength, which is why I always believed that there is something particular about the South, be it Southern Africa or South America. The foundation of my philosophy is my belief that we should be entertainers, because that is what brings fans to the stadium," Malesela told Kick-Off magazine. Chippa United gave Mamelodi Sundowns a run for their money in the first leg of the two legged MTN8 Semi-final encounter. The game ended in a dull draw but that was one of the best games so far this season. Sundowns usually have upper hand over their opponents but t...

Keagan Dolly in action for Bafana Bafana. By Herrold Lamola (@Lamola_eitcHDee) South Africa has registered their first win in their qualifiers  with a impressive 4-0 victory over Gambia at the Independent Stadium, in Bakau, Gambia. First half brace from Thamsanqa Gabuza gave the South African side a lead going into the interval. The sensational Keagan Dolly has also netted a brace in the second stanza of the game to seal maximum points for Bafana. After a slow start at the Independence Stadium, the game came to life after Sibusiso Vilakazi came on to replace the injured Thulani Serero in the 25th minute. Bafana Bafana clicked into gear as Gabuza, who had missed a good opportunity moments before, opened the scoring after finishing a one-touch move involving Tebogo Langerman, himself, Dolly and Vilakazi. Gabuza got his second from Dolly’s pinpoint cross from the left as he made a near-post run and tapped home to finish a sweeping move, another one the st...

By Herrold Lamola (@Lamola_eitcHDee) Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim 'Shales' Mashaba is not falling for Cameroon' camp crisis trap. Cameroon has hard-hit by injuries and the Indomitable Lions have to do without the services of some their key players. Cameroon is set to lock horns with South African im a two-legged Nations Cup qualifier. Shakes says he is more worried about Nafama camp than that of the opposition. Said Mashaba "I don't worry much about news of our opposition. I worry about our strength and weaknesses. If you worry about opponents that will make you relax because you think "so and so" is not there or they have a new coach." Mashaba added "We will still play Cameroon (regardless theor crisis) and we have to prepare our team to the best of our abilities." Similar to Cameroon' camp Bafana Bafana has suffered an injury blow in their squad. Midfield maestro Andile Jali has a dislocated shoulder, right-back A...