Amakhosikazi taken to the cleaners!

Tomorrow's derby between Orlando Pirates and Amakhosikazi should be a thrilling encounter. The two Soweto giants last met in a cup final in 1989 at Orlando Stadium. Many soccer commentators have tipped Amakhosikazi to take this one because they have notched two successive victories in their last games, while the mighty Amabhakabhaka, have taken a break by letting other clubs taste victory. Now, this break will end tomorrow, at the expense of the beautiful Amakhosikazi.

Bookmakers have rightly tipped the glorious Buccaneers to wallop the beautiful Amakhosikazi. So, if you are a punting fellow, and want to make some money, you have been warned. If you have moollah to throw around, back them and you will cry like Maradonna.

Ha ba shwe!

Juju Man off-side

Our country's constitution guarantees its citizens freedom of expression. That said, it is no longer surprising that the Young Lion of the North, aka, Juju Man, comments on everything under the sun. He has also added his two cents worth on who should be the next Bafana coach saga.

Well Joel Santana, the former Bafana Bafana coach, is packing his bags en-route to Sao Paolo. The new SAFA regime is preparing to make an announcement about the imminent return of Carlos Alberto Parreira tomorrow, Juju Man is calling for the appointment of Lucas "Rhoo" Radebe as head coach of Bafana Bafana.

Radebe boasts an incredible career as a football player. He captained both Leeds United in England and Bafana Bafana with class and distinction. However, to agitate for his appointment as head coach of Bafana is absolutely nonsensical. The man has no coaching credentials to talk about. He might be even worse than Santana.

One sincerely hopes that the new SAFA regime will not settle old scores and appoint someone who can raise the moral of the players and lift the country out of an embarrasing FIFA ranking we now find ourselves in. As for Juju, he must not try to overplay his (ANCYL's) kingmaker's role in football matters.

Amakhosi to beat Sundowns!

The much awaited clash between Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns tomorrow at the Super Stadium in Atteridgville promises to be a humdinger. Both teams come into this match after posting impressive wins two weeks ago against Ajax and Maritzburg United respectively.

Both teams are known for playing carpet football. Who can forget the game between these giants when Sundowns made a record breaking 30 touches with Amakhosi chasing shadows? This game could see the return of midfield maestro Suprise Moriri from injury.

Both Mabhuti Khenyeza and Josta Dladla would like to prove to the former teams that they still have what it takes.

My heart is with "Menwana phezulu" but my money is on Amakhosi to win this one.

Santana must NOT go!

It looks a matter of time before Joel Natalino Santana is sacked. If comments by the new SAFA regime is anything to go by, the man will enjoy Christmas at home in Brazil with his family. At that time, he shall have been bought out of his contract, with a hefty sum for that matter.

The poor coach was showered with praises after the Confederations Cup in July. He was hailed as someone who brought shape to the squad. Three months down the line, the man from Rio de Janeiro, is regarded as clueless and tactically naive. How sad!

Santana was employed to prepare a team for the FIFA World Cup in June, 2010. I believe that the man is on course to prepare a team that will compete in the biggest soccer extravaganza next year. So these calls for him to be sacked are premature. I believe the man is the real deal. He is tactically suave and techically brilliant. This man must see his contract out.

Now the Juju Man has also entered the fray in calling for his dismissal.

If the truth be told, Santana has had to work with some mediocre players. This country has no players in the mould of Samuel Eto and Ronaldo. It is also a fact that there is no player in the current squad who can play for Real Madrid or Chelsea. The best we can do is to ship players to the lower leagues in Europe and Africa, and then call them international players. We have players plying their trade in Botswana and Swaziland. How sad!

Even if the best coach is brought here after the imminent departure of Santana, he will still be faced with the same bunch of mediocre players. Even Sir Alex Ferguson would be regarded as a failure after only six months with the national team.

The path has now been cleared for Jomo Sono to take over! Yawn!

How global economic crisis hit SA

Undoubtedly, 2008 would go down in history as the time that the economies of the industrial giants of the west, namely, Europe and the United States of America, floundered.

According to Andre Joubert, General Manager MWEB Business, most South Africans were saved by the National Credit Act (NCA). He pointed out that the irresponsible borrowing of the vast majority of South Africans was seriously curbed by the NCA.

He believed that was a very good step forward and may have saved us from the fate of the USA and Europe’s banking sectors and the resultant financial crisis. However, he reiterated that he thought that the high interest rates hurt us badly in all other sectors.

Although a number of commentators believe that South Africa has fortunately been spared the worst shock from the ongoing financial crisis, the country is still faced with many internal challenges. Unreasonably high-levels of poverty, unemployment and violence largely shape the political landscape.

Some political analysts like Aubrey Matshiqi ,believed that this global financial crisis had the potential of undermining the material gains achieved in the last 14 years. The recent service delivery inspired protests are a case in point.

The economy is not growing as it should. In fact it has somewhat slowed down dramatically. No new jobs are created. The hardest hit are those people without skills. The poorest of the poor. This cuts accross any social and class barrier.The recent strike by the public sector doctors shows the scale to which the recession has hit South Africa.

One of the people who lost his job as a result of the global economic crisis is Vusi Mabena, an employee in the metal industry, in Germiston, east of Johannesburg. Mabena has been employed at Scaw Metals for the last twenty years. The company had to lay off its staff because its export base was greatly affected.

The financial crisis has not only affected the working class, it has also hit the middle class in a very big way. Most consumers now realised that they have less money to spend on leisure, and with an increasing number opting that staying at home is the new "going out". Having more time and less money means that families are more determined than ever to spend wisely.
Among the middle-class to feel the pinch is Lucas Radebe, a former Bafana Bafana captain, who lives in the leafy suburbs of Jozi. He says he has chosen to rent DVDs than going to the movies. Take-away is now out of question and home cooking is the "in-thing.

Many high flyers have chosen to dispose of their expensive toys, like yatchs and private jets. Even the once glamorous celebrity couple, Khanyi Mbau and Mandla Mthembu, have had to give up their R100 000 rented penthouse in northern Johannesburg. They also had to for go their leased Lamborginis. How the mighty have fallen. No tears there.

Different strokes for different folk!

The country's constitution guarantees that every citizen is equal before the law. It also guarantees that a person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Where am I going with this? Supersport, the major sports television channel seems to be applying different rules for its different presenters.

Joost van der Westhuizen, has been suspended by the TV station because of video that has been in the public domain for some time. In the video, Joost is shown in compromising situations. The station felt he might bring channel into disrepute.
Marc Batchelor, a soccer analyst at Supersport, was suspended because he was charged with assault. Another soccer analyst, Kenny Niemach, was also suspended because of fraud related charges levelled against him. I might also add former Kaizer Chiefs midfield genius, Shakes Kungwane, who was also suspended by the the TV station, because of credit card related charges.
Here is where I am going with this. Doctor Khumalo, another soccer analyst and former Bafana Bafana midfielder, is currently attending court cases, where his car collided with a minibus taxi and a few passengers were injured. This accident happened in 2007. He was allegedly under the influence of alcohol during this accident . But the man is still scheduled by the TV station. He is still on air. One would have thought that the TV station would have applied the same principle to all its sports presenters. But alas, some are more equal than others.

Lucas Radebe Off-side

The recent comments made by Lucas Radebe, a former Bafana Bafana skipper regarding the exclusion of Benni McCharthy from the Bafana squad must rate as one of the most outrageous statements to come from his big mouth.

As if he does not know that Benni was dropped from the squad for disciplinary reasons. Also, as if he is unaware that Benni has the tendency to choose games he wants to feature in. One minute he is injured and another he plays for his team, Blackburn Rovers. He behaves like some sort of a prima donna.

If Brazil, the FIFA 2009 Confederations Cup champions could afford to drop their superstars, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho from their squad, for poor perfomance, who was Benni anyway?

The sooner Benni makes up his big head about playing for Bafana Bafana and drops his gigantic ego, the better for everyone who loves our beautiful game.

The Bafana coach, Joel Natalino Santana, must to be bullied in picking players because of their reputation. Performance, talent and class must the basis upon which players are picked to play for that national team.