Gatti Sports Reports SA

WILL SUNDOWNS CONTINUE WITH THEIR 4 GOAL UPWARDS SCORELINE? Mamelodi Sundowns have been having a streamline of scoring 4 goals in most of their previous fixtures this year.  That streamline of scoring 4 goals in a game this year started with Lamontville Golden Arrows whom they've hammered 4-0, Orlando Pirates where also put to the 4 goal sword as they were hammered 4-1, TS Galaxy too were also hammered 4-1 then recently it was Sekhukhune United who also got a 4-2 hammering this past Wednesday. Today Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs are set to meet at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe stadium for a Betway Premier League encounter. The last time these sides met was last year in November in Carling Knockout Cup quarterfinal where Masandawana won 4-0.  Will Sundowns give a hammering of another 4 goals? The match is scheduled to kickoff at 15h00 South African time and all tickets have been sold out. Photo provided by Mamelodi Sundowns FC.

ABC MOTSEPE SIDE LEAGUE FIXTURE ABANDONED DUE TO THE PITCH BEING WATERLOGGED! Another match has been forced to be abandoned for the second week in a row due to the pitch being waterlogged. Last week Wednesday, A Betway Premier League encounter between Orlando Pirates and Lamontville Golden Arrows was also abandoned due the pitch being deemed to be waterlogged. This week an ABC Motsepe League fixture between Gomora United and Pele Pele FC was forced to be halted in the second half yesterday after the pitch was waterlogged. Had Gomora United continued the fixture and won, They would have gone into second place with 45 points removing African All Stars and trail first place Highlands Park with 7 points. Pele Pele are currently in 8th place with 28 points, Level on points with 9th placed Jomo Cosmos and 10th placed Free Agents. Source: Football Stage.

IVAN TONEY NETS A HAT-TRICK TO BREAK AL-HILAL'S HEARTS! Ivan Toney was once again the hero for Al-Ahli as he was able to score a hat-trick to see his side upsetting Al-Hilal at home after their encounter recorded a 3-2 scoreline last night. The win allowed Al-Ahli to climb to 4th place in the Saudi Pro League table from 5th.  In the absence of Al-Hilal's trusted striker Alesandar Mitrovič, Marcos Leornado and Salem Aldawsari wrote their names on the score sheet. First placed Al-Ittihad have a chance to stretched their lead to 8 points which means they have to beat Al-Khoudod who they face tomorrow evening at home. Photo provided by Derek Katey Caesar .

AL-OROBAH STANDS IN THE WAY OF AL-NASSR OF CLOSING DOWN LEAGUE GAP! Al-Nassr were denied 3 points and a chance to close down the gap in the Saudi Pro League as they were defeated 2-1 away from home by Al-Orobah yesterday the Al Jouf University stadium. Orobah got their first ever win against Nassr in the club's history, All the previous encounters saw Al-Nassr winning all 4 of them. The home side's goals came from Omar Al Somah and Johann Berg Gudmundsson with the away side's goal coming from Nawaf Boushal. Al-Nassr are in third place with 47 points after match day 23 level on points with Al-Hilal who lost 3-2 to Al-Ahli last night. Al-Ittihad are still ahead with 56 points with a game in hand. Al-Orobah moved from 13th place to 11th with 26 points after match day 23 due to their win against Al-Nassr. Photo provided by Al-Nassr FC .

MOTSEPE FOUNDATION CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS, TRUTER AND MIDDENDORP SECURE WINS! The Motsepe Foundation Championship had 2 fixtures that took place today at the Solomon Mahlangu stadium where Casric Stars hosted Upington City and at the Athlone stadium where Cape Town Spurs hosted Higbury FC. The fixtures were opened by the Casric and Upington fixture where the match ended 1-0 in favour of the visitors. Cape Town Spurs ended their 4 match winless runs after defeating Highbury 2-1 and also wrapping up the day. The Motsepe Foundation Championship fixtures for tomorrow are scheduled as follows: *Orbit College vs Venda FC *Hungry Lions vs Durban City FC The Milford FC and Pretoria Callies fixture has been postponed due to Milford playing a Nedbank Cup round of 16 fixture on Sunday against Sekhukhune United. Photo provided by Upington City FC .

STELLENBOSCH AND POLOKWANE CITY SHARE THE SPOILS! Gunning to finish the season in CAF Interclub competition spot for the second time in their history, Stellenbosch FC edged a step closer to that feat after securing a single point gainst Polokwane City where the match ended with a 1-1 draw at the Danie Craven stadium today. Ashley Cupido once again found the back of the net for Stellies while Bonginkosi Dlamini got the goal for City. Last season Stellies narrowly missed out on a CAF Champions League spot after they finished a place behind Orlando Pirates due to goal difference. Stellies have already done well this season. They played the MTN8 final which they unfortunately lost 3-1 to Orlando Pirates, Secured a quarterfinal spot in the CAF Confederations Cup. Can they secure back to back Interclub competition spots come the end of the season? Photo provided by Stellenbosch FC .

THULASISWE MBUYANE REVEALS HIS PSL SALARIES! Nower days, Trap and Pass podcast is starting to give fans, supporters, professional football players and amateur football players who are curious a glimpse of how much their former favourite players were earning in playing days. Former professional footballers Tebogo Langerman and Michael Nkambule are some of the legends who revealed their salaries while they were still playing football. This week Trap and Pass featured former Garankuwa United, Free State Stars, Orlando Pirates, Mpumalanga Black Aces and Royal Eagles striker Thulasizwe Mbuyane. The retired Mbuyane releaved his salaries starting from Garankuwa United where he pocketed R4 500-R7 500 per month from July 2004 to July 2007. He took a big jump at Free State Stars where he was earning R 16 000 per month in 2007. Upon moving to Orlando Pirates, The salary was doubled to R 34 000  with an undisclosed signing on fee. A R2.8M transfer fee was paid by Pirates to Stars for the...

PSL GIVES NEDBANK CUP UPDATE! The Premier Soccer League has released the dates and venues of Nedbank Cup quarterfinals which will be played next weekend. Orlando Pirates, Supersport United, Kaizer Chiefs, Stellenbosch FC, Durban City FC, Marumo Gallants and Mamelodi Sundowns are the 7 teams that have confirmed their spots. The last round of 16 fixture will be played this coming Sunday at the Princess Magogo stadium where Milford FC will be up against Sekhukhune United to see who will face Sundowns in quarterfinal. The delay in the Sekhukhune and Milford fixture was caused by the Royal AM and SARS saga which resulted in the Shawn Mkhize owned club being forfeited from the tournament to set a round of 16 fixture between Milford FC and Sekhukhune United. Below are the confirmed dates and venues of the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals as issued by the Premier Soccer League earlier on today: Photos provided by the Premier Soccer League

LIVERPOOL PLAYER SET TO RECIEVE A NEW CONTRACT EXTENSION! Liverpool left-back and Scottish national team captain Andy Robertson is set to have his contract extended at the English Premier League club comes the end of the season according to rumours. The former Queens Park FC, Dundee United and Hull City FC player still has over a year left on his contract as his contract ends next year June. Robertson might have a year more added to his existing contract to see his stay being until June 2027. Since joining the Reds in August 2017, The Scottish international has played 332 game, Scoring 11 goal and providing 66 assists across all competitions. This season alone, Robertson has played 35 games across all competitions with 1 assist provided. Photo provided by IMAGO

JOSHUA KIMMICH SET TO BE A FREE AGENT IN JUNE, PREMIER LEAGUE TEAMS LINING UP! Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich who was presented a new contract by the German club a few weeks ago has now seen his contract offer from Bayern Munich withdrawn ahead of his current contract expiry this coming June. It has been rumoured that Kimmich rejected the offer present to him by Bayern and the club has withdrawn from giving him the offer and might not present another one. Kimmich is currently in the top 3 highest paid players at Munich with a weekly salary of €375k excluding bonuses and it seem the 30 year old wanted way more than what he is currently getting. Two English Premier League giants Manchester City and Liverpool are also rumoured to be monitoring how the situation between Kimmich and Bayern will unfold when the season ends. Should Bayern not give Kimmich the figures he is looking for, The German national team captain will be spoiled for choice as there wouldn't be just Liverpool...

FORMER TS GALAXY WINGER FINDS A NEW HOME IN THE ABC MOTSEPE LEAGUE! The ABC Motsepe League has been frequently becoming a league that is accommodating former Betway Premier League players. Recently we've seen the likes of Siphelele Ntshangase, Tebogo Langerman and Edward Mangqele joining the league. In this scenario, We will be taking about none other than former TS Galaxy winger Orebotse Mongae who just landed a new home in the ABC Motsepe League. Yesterday, North West University Soccer Institute welcomed back Mongae and 11 other key players to their stable. Mongae was signed from Motsepe Foundation Championship side Upington City where he spent 6 months just after departing TS Galaxy. The 31 year old winger has the likes of Royal Eagles, Baroka FC, Jwaneng Galaxy, SC Serowe and BCM Stars on his impressive playing CV. Photo provided by BackpagePix

VAN NISTELROOY WANTS TO BE WITH LEICESTER DOWN TO THE LAST WIRE! Leicester City FC head coach Ruud Van Nistelrooy gave his view on what he plans to do with his situation at the English Premier League club going forward. Leicester suffered another defeat yesterday where they were beaten by West Ham United 2-0 in a Premier League encounter. Mathematically, Van Nistelrooy can still save the top flight status of Leicester but he needs to start grinding the positive results as soon as possible. Below is what coach Ruud Van Nistelrooy had to say in his post match interview as reported by SkySports News : "The difference between the first and second half [was big]. The whole first half we were going back instead of putting our opponents under pressure. "We don't have too many results. Also in bottom three. We were too passive and too secure in our defensive organisation. We didn't press the opponent at all. The backline was too deep, the midfield too. "The second half y...

NEW FIFA RULES TO BE CONSIDERED! FIFA is set to consider a new football rules of the game which will be discussed on 1st of March 2025. If the committee agrees on the new laws, They will be effective from the 1st of July 2025. The rules to be heard are written down below: ARSEN WENGER'S NEW OFF-GAME: A player will only be called offside if his entire body exceeds the line of the last defender. So the offside of a few millimeters is over. THE DECISIONS OF THE REFEREE EXPLAINED ON THE MIC AT THE WHOLE STADIUM: After consulting the VAR, the referees will explain their decision with a microphone to all spectators present in the stadium. THE CHALLENGER SYSTEM: Each coach will be able to ask in limited numbers for the use of VAR during the match to review an action they deem controversial. THE REFEREE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP THE TIME: The referees will be able to stop the timer to study a litigation situation or in case of a major injury. Goal: avoid many football time savings and prioritiz...

PATRICK MABEDI JOINS TALENT MANAGEMENT AGENCY! Prosport International talent management agency which is owned by super agent Mike Makaab has announced the signing of coach Patrick Mabedi. Mabedi played for Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows and Is currently coaching the Malawian national team. Before being appointed the head coach of Malawi, Mabedi also had coaching stints at Moroka Swallows, Kaizer Chiefs, Mpumalanga Black Aces, Black Leopards and Cape All Stars. Welcoming Mabedi to the agency yesterday, Prosport International wrote the following on their social media platforms: "Welcome to the Prosport International family, coach Patrick Mabedi!  "A Kaizer Chiefs legend and Malawian football icon, Patrick brings a wealth of experience, passion, and leadership to the game." "We are honored to have him on board and excited for the journey ahead! Photo provided by Prosport International

CAPE TOWN CITY OFFICIALLY UNVEILS THE SIGNING OF THULANI SERERO! Betway Premier League outfit Cape Town City FC have officially announced the signing of former Bafana Bafana international Thulani Serero who joined the club on a free transfer. Cape Town City FC interim coach Muhsin Ertugral had already confirmed the arrival of Serero in post match interview where the side lost 2-0 to Chippa United in about a week ago. The Citizens' midfield will now boast with wealth of experience as the club already has Hashim Domingo, Kamogelo Mokotjo and Fortunate Makaringe. Serero will be amongst the players in the midfield position who will be tasked to lead City to better hights. Photo provided by Cape Town City FC

JAMIE WEBBER MIGHT LEAVE SEKHUKHUNE FOR USA TEAM! Sekhukhune United midfielder Jamie Webber might be on his way out of the Betway Premier League outfit after a lucrative move to the United States of America is rumoured to have emerged. According to SABC Sports senior reporter Mazola Molefe , FC Tulsa, A club participating in the United Soccer League Championship which is the second tier, Is interested in the services of Webber. With no game played by the 27 year old this season, A move to seek for regular playing time elsewhere is advised and moving to the USLC club might prove to be beneficial for Webber. Should the move materialize, Webber will be the first player to play in the USLC after George Lebese who was in the books of Colorado Springs Switchbacks in 2019-20 . Photo provided by FARPost

JURGEN KLOPP LANDS IN CAPE TOWN! Former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has touched base in South Africa for the anticipated Hout Bay Football Community fundraiser to be hosted in Cape Town on the 6th of March 2025 at the Bay Harbour Makert. This initiative will have football training, Education, Mentorship, Nutrition and employability. Klopp has been inducted to be part of the Hout Bay United Football Community from 2017 and will be in the country for a couple of days. The German mentor decided to quit coaching last season where he parted ways with Liverpool after being with them for close to 10 years. Currently, Klopp is a Global Sports Director for Redbull energy. Photo provided by GETTY

ANTONY'S RED CARD WITHDRAWN, LEGIBLE TO PLAY AGAINST REAL MADRID! The Spanish LaLiga organization has confirmed that the red card that was shown to Real Betis Balompie winger Antony against Getafe on Sunday has been been cancelled. Despite Antony being shown the red card in that encounter, Betis managed to walk away with all the 3 points after winning 2-1. The Brazilian will be delighted to know that he will be up for selection  when they host Real Madrid at home this coming Sunday in a Spanish LaLiga encounter. Since making a loan switch from English Premier League outfit Manchester United, Antony has scored 2 goals and provided 2 assists in 4 appearances. Will he continue his goal scoring run and spoil Real Madrid's plans? Photo provided by IMAGO

SAFA CONFIRMS NTSEKI'S APPOINTMENT AND FIXTURE RESCHEDULE! Just after rumours had been circulating on social media about the appointment of Molefi Ntseki as the Bafana Bafana CHAN qualifiers head coach, The South African Football Association confirmed the appointment of the former Kaizer Chiefs and Marumo Gallants coach yesterday evening. Ntseki will be assisted by none other than experienced SA under-20 head coach Raymond Mdaka. Additionally, The fixture against Egypt which was set to be played this coming Friday has now been moved to Sunday as the Egyptians will only recieve their visas on Friday which will make it difficult to honor the fixture. Here is part of the statement released by the South African Football Association last night: "26 February 2025 – The first round African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier between South Africa and Egypt will now be played on Sunday, 2 March 2025 after the North Africans had difficulties with acquiring their visas." "The...

PSG THRASH MINORS 7-0 TO BOOK COUPE DE FRANCE SEMI-FINAL SPOT! Paris Saint-Germain swiftly hammered their way into the semifinals of the 2024/25 season Coupe de France after hammering minors Stade Briochin who were representing Championnat National 2 with an embarrassing 7-0 scoreline. Gonçalo Ramos chipped in 3 goals while Joao Neves, Senny Mayulu, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue chipped in 1 goal each. PSG will either meet Cannes, Stade Reims or Dunkerque in the semifinals. The Luis Enrique side are the remaining stronger club going to the semis and stands a very good chance of retaining their title. Photo provided by IMAGO  

SUNDOWNS CONTINUE WINNING RUN WITH SEKHUKHUNE BEING HAMMERED! Today's only Betway Premier League fixtures that had Sekhukhune United versus Mamelodi Sundowns at the Old Peter Mokaba stadium saw Sundowns coming out of the fixture with 3 points after a 4-2 scoreline. Thapelo Morena opened the scoring for Masandawana in the  16th minute only for Babina Noko's  Katlego Otladisa to cancelled the goal out in the 35th minute. Luis Suarez restored Sundowns lead 4 minutes from Otladisa's goal and had both side head to the half-time break with the score at 2-1. The visitors extended their lead in the second half with Lucas Ribeiro Costa scoring in the 55th minute and Arthur Sales scoring the last one for Downs in the 66th minute. Keletso Makgalwa scored the second for Sekhukhune which was the final goal of the match. Photo provided by Sekhukhune United FC

NEYMAR'S BARCELONA RETURN ON THE CARDS! It seems Santos FC returnee Neymar JR may return to his other former employers FC Barcelona when his contract expires in June according to Diario Sport . Neymar rejoined Santos on a free transfer after he was let go by Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal last month. He struggled with injuries and form at Al-Hilal which resulted in him playing just 7 games across all competitions in the time he spent there. The 33 year old midfielder has played just 6 league games for Santos but he boast about 5 goal contributions. Neymar joined Barcelona in 2013 from Santos on a €88M transfer then later moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 on a record breaking €222M transfer which even now it hasn't been broken by any team of any sport. Will the Barca fans see Neymar playing at the Camp Nou once again? Sources: Imago ,Diario Sport

FORMER PSL STAR SET TO JOIN A NEW CLUB ABROAD! BackpagePix Since his return to the Betway Premier League with newbies Magesi FC failed, Defender Edwin Gyimah is reported to be close to joining FC Astana who participate in the Kazakhstan Premier League according to SoccerLaduma . Gyimah has spent over 7 months without a club after being released by Sekhukhune United at the end of the season due to disciplinary issues. The 33 year old defender who will be turning 34 next month has represented 9 top flight teams which includes Orlando Pirates, Bidvest Wits, Supersport United, Black Leopards, Mpumalanga Black Aces, Sekhukhune United, Helsingborgs IF, Well All Stars and S.Hasaacas.

CRISTIANO RONALDO INTERESTED IN BUYING SPANISH LALIGA CLUB! Getty Al-Nassr player Cristiano Ronaldo is rumoured to be interested in buying Spanish LaLiga club Valencia CF from his friend Peter Lim. The news comes after the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus striker mentioned a few months ago that he wants to buy a club and it has been revealed that the relegation threatened Valencia is in the picture. The Valencia shares purchase could involve Ronaldo being backed financially by the king of Saudi Arabia it is reported. Valencia are in the bottom 3 of the Spanish LaLiga table together with Alaves and Real Valladolid.

MILFORD SUSPENDS HEAD COACH WHILE THE CHAIRMAN TAKES OVER! A photo by Milford FC On Monday evening, Motsepe Foundation Championship side Milford FC announced that the club has suspended head coach Mandla Qogi and his technical team following the poor results. Milford have collected only 5 points out of a possible 15 in their last 5 matches which set them far behind first place Durban City FC with 8 points with 11 leagues matches left to be played. The club's chairman Dr Xanti Pupuma will be taking over as the coach just like he was leading the team in the previous seasons. Milford's next match will be this coming Sunday where they will host Betway Premier League side Sekhukhune United at the Princess Magogo stadium for a Nedbank Cup round of 16 encounter.

ARTETA NOT GIVING UP ON PREMIER LEAGUE CHASE! PA Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has vowed that he and his team will not be easily giving up on the English Premier League title race following their 1-0 defeat at home against West Ham United this previous weekend. Arsenal missed out on a chance to close down the gap between themselves and Liverpool to 8 points and they now trail them with 11 points. When asked about the English Premier League title chase this is what Mikel Arteta said as reported by BBC Sport: "Over my dead body. If not I will go home. Mathematically it is possible. Three days ago we could close a gap and you are like 'you are one and a half games away'. "The difficulty is higher than three days ago but if you are going to win the Premier League you have to do something special. "If you are going to win the Premier League with the circumstances we have you will probably have to do something that nobody else has done in the history of the Premier L...

BARCELONA AND ATLETICO REGISTER A 4-4 DRAW IN COPA DEL REY! A photo by FC Barcelona FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid gave their fans and supporters one hell of a show after their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg encounter registered a 4-4 draw at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. On Barcelona's side Pedri, Robert Lewandoski, Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez were on the scoresheet while Julian Alvarez, Antoine Griezman, Marcos Llorente and Alexander Sorloth scored for Atletico. The second leg will be played on the 16th of next month at Riyahd Air Metropolitano.

VUSIMUZI VILAKAZI RESIGNS FROM COACHING POSITION AT AMAZULU! A photo by Amazulu FC Amazulu FC announced the resignation of their coaching member Vusimuzi Vilakazi. The former Chippa United and Richards Bay FC head coach was appointed to lead the club on co-coaching duties together with former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane when coach Pablo Franco Martin was sacked at the start of the season. On the statement released by Amazulu today, They mentioned that Vilakazi resigned based on personal reasons and coach Arthur Zwane will now be the sole head coach of the club going forward. The statement released by the Amazulu today on their social media platforms is written as follows:

IS KAIZER CHIEFS REALLY THE PROBLEM? A photo by Kaizer Chiefs FC Striker Christian Saile was shipped out of Kaizer Chiefs and landed himself at Supersport United where former United player Tashreeq Morris was snatched on a swap deal. Immediately after completing a move to Matsatsantsa A Pitori, Saile scored a goal on his debut. He went on and scored a few more goals with the latest coming against his former side Kaizer Chiefs where United hammered them 4-1. Saile's goal tally currently stands at 3 in 6 appearances across all competitions while Morris hasn't  scored any goal since completing a move to Amakhosi. The Congolese tenure at Chiefs saw him scoring just 7 goals in 56 appearances across all competitions in a 2 full seasons stay. In under a month, Saile is already halfway to his Chiefs goal tally at Matsatsantsa. Is Chiefs really the problem to players? Some of the players that flourished after moving away from Kaizer Chiefs is non other than Siyabonga Ngezana who won the...

WILL THE 'RADIOMAN' GET A PLACE IN THE BUCS LINE-UP? BackpagePix Boitumelo Radiopane is finding it hard to get a chance in the Orlando Pirates striking department. The 23 year old striker has only managed to play on 6 occasion and netting 1 time since the season started.  Coach Jose Riveiro has trusted Tshegofatso Mabasa and Evidence Makgopa in the forefront while Zakhele Lepasa was sidelined due to a lengthy injury. Now Lepasa has been slowly recovering from injury, It makes the situation more difficult for the 'Radioman'. Radiopane was sent out on 2 loan stint at Cape Town Spurs the season before last and also last season. He didn't have much to contribute for Spurs since he was injured in the first half of last season. For Radiopane to surely be guaranteed a starting berth he will have to rely on Makgopa and Mabasa being injured so that he can momentarily be the only striker. Will the 'Radioman' fight to get recognition from Jose Riveiro?

MOENEEB JOSEPHS TO LAND A NEW COACHING GIG! BackpagePix Former Orlando Pirates, Bidvest Wits and Amazulu goalkeeper and goalkeeper coach Moeneeb Joseph is rumoured to be on his to Kenya to join coach Benni McCarthy who was recently appointed as the Kenyan national team head coach. Josephs and McCarthy played together at Orlando Pirates and also had a chance to work together at Amazulu a few seasons back when McCarthy was coach for 2 seasons. Both Josephs and McCarthy had been without jobs for a while now. Coach McCarthy left English Premier League giants Manchester United at the end of last term where he had been serving as a striker coach to Erik Ten Hag for 2 seasons while Josephs had been unattached for a while since leaving  Amazulu in 2023.

EFL CLUB IN FINAL STAGES OF BEING SOLD! A photo by Reading FC Yesterday, EFL League One club Reading FC confirmed on their social media platforms that the club is in the final stages of being sold together with the Bearwood Park Training Facility and the Select Car Leasing stadium. Reading joined the likes of English Premier League outfit Everton FC who were also sold to AS Roma owners a few months ago. Below is a statement released by Reading on their website yesterday announcing the club's potential sale: "Reading Football Club can confirm it has committed to a letter of intent with a potential purchaser of the club. "The parties will now enter a period of exclusivity to complete final due diligence and legally complete the transaction. Whilst timelines cannot be guaranteed, the structure of the deal should allow for a quick completion, which would be for the benefit of all concerned. "Whilst we understand our supporters' wish to know the purchaser’s identity, ...

WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP FOR ORLANDO PIRATES WITH OVERLOOKED MIDFIELDER! A photo by Orlando Pirates FC Orlando Pirates are spoiled for choice when it comes to the midfield position. 'Ezikamaghebhula' has Thalente Mbatha, Makhehlene Makhaula, Kabelo Dlamini, Selaelo Rasebotja, Miguel Timm, Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo and Karim Kimviudi all fighting to be in the match day squad. Midfielder Azola Tshobeni who recently returned from a 3 season long loan from Motsepe Foundation Championship side JDR Stars is having a tough time breaking into the squad. With the Pirates midfield being congested, Tshobeni runs a risks of being let go by the club comes the end of the season or maybe be sent out on loan.  Since the season started, Tshobeni has only managed just 3 appearances across all competitions.

RANGERS FC APPOINTS A NEW COACH AFTER PHILIPPE CLEMENT SACKING! A photo by Ranger FC Scottish Premier League giants Ranger FC have announced new coaching stuff hours after the sacking of head coach Philippe Clement. Clement was appointed to lead the club at the beginning of the season and hasn't been able to live up to the expectations of the club leaving them in second place of the league with 57 points after match day 27, 13 points behind the defending league champions Celtic. The new Rangers FC coaching staff will now consist of Barry Ferguson as the head coach until the end of the season and he also be assisted by Brian Gilmour. Here is the statement released by Ranger FC yesterday on their website confirming the coaching changes: "RANGERS Football Club can today announce Hall of Fame member and former club captain, Barry Ferguson, is to become Head Coach of our men’s first team until the end of the season." "Ferguson, who won five league titles, five Scottish Cu...

SUNDOWNS AND CHIEFS CLASH TICKETS SOLD OUT! A photo by Rebotile M Mamelodi Sundowns went out to their social media platforms today to announce that the tickets for their Betway Premier League encounter against Kaizer Chiefs this Saturday are sold out. Fans and supporters of both clubs will be heading to the 28 900 capacity stadium which is the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe stadium after Sundowns were forced to change their venue which was the Loftus Versfield stadium as the Blue Bulls will be playing their match at the venue this Saturday too. The Loftus Versfield stadium has a capacity of close to 52 000 and Masandawana have missed out on a chance to generate more money through tickets sales. The last time Chiefs and Sundowns met was last year in the Carling Knockout Cup quarterfinal where Downs won 4-1 to progress to the semifinals. Will Chiefs get their revenge or will Downs continue to do their business as usual?

WHO WILL GET RELEGATED TO THE ABC MOTSEPE LEAGUE? A photo by Cape Town Spurs FC It looks like the Motsepe Foundation Championship relegation battle will be going down to the wire (towards the last few matches of the season) The bottom three teams which is Cape Town Spurs, Venda FC and Leruma United are skating on thin ice having only collected 16 points after match day 19 respectively. The relegation battle was intensified by Leruma United who won their encounter yesterday 1-0 away from home against Upington City to keep themselves level on points with Spurs and Venda. At the top of the table, Its getting tough with Durban City FC, Orbit College FC and JDR Stars the forerunners to clinch automatic promotion. Casric Stars, Milford FC and Baroka are also not out of the automatic promotion race.

ALEXANDER ISAK IN THE HISTORY BOOKS! IMAGO Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak wrote his name in the history books of English football after he moved a place above Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as he became the number 7th fastest played to reach 50 English Premier League goals which he managed in 76 appearances. That new feat he pulled it off yesterday in Newcastle's 4-3 win against Nottingham Forest FC where he scored a brace. The top 8 fastest players list to reach 50 PL goals is as follows: *Erling Haaland, 50 goals in 48 appearances. *Andrew Cole, 50 goals in 65 appearances. *Allan Shearer, 50 goals in 66 appearances. *Ruud van Nistelrooy, 50 goals in 68 appearances. *Fernando Torres, 50 goals in 72 appearances. *Mohamed Salah, 50 goals in 72 appearances. *Alexander Isak, 50 goals in 76 appearances. *Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 50 goals in 79 appearances.

GAVIN HUNT HONOURED BY MATSATSANTSA! A photo by Supersport United Supersport United head coach Gavin Hunt was celebrated yesterday for reaching his 1000th top flight match as a coach. Matsatsantsa presented the coach with a 1000 match plaque in Supersport's match against Lamontville Golden Arrows where the match was also abandoned. Stellenbosch FC also showed their gratitude on their social media platforms with a post written as follows: "1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ top-flight matches! A remarkable milestone for a true legend of South African football." "From all of us at Stellenbosch FC, congratulations to Gavin Hunt on this incredible achievement—your impact on the game is undeniable." Coach Gavin Hunt coaching career kicked off in the year 1998 where he coached Hellenic FC until 2001. He moved to Black Leopards in 2001-2002 , Moroka Swallows from 2002 to 2007 then Supersport United from 2007 to 2013, Bidvest Wits from 2013 to 2020, Kaizer Chiefs from 2020 to 2021, Chip...

RAMOS MAKE MEXICAN TOP FLIGHT DEBUT! A photo by FC Monterrey  Former Real Madrid, Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain center-back Sergio Ramos was afforded his Mexican top flight debut by FC Monterrey yesterday where he managed 80 minutes and also captained the side. The club was fortunate to win 3-1 at home against San Luis. In the 80 minutes played by Ramos, The 2010 world cup winner completed 41 passes, 1 tackle and committed 1 foul. Ramos will be turning 39 years old next month and will be 39 years and 9 months when his contract expires in December this year, Will Ramos continue playing if given a new contract or will he close off his playing chapter?

NEYMAR SCORES HIS SECOND GOAL OF THE SEASON FOR SANTOS! A photo by Santos FC They say "form is temporary, Class is permanent", Neymar JR is starting to show the real reason why Santo FC had to sign him for a second stint. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain winger scored a goal and provided 2 assists in Santos 3-0 win over Inter de Limeira in a league encounter. Neymar has now scored 2 goals in total and provided 3 assists ever since he made his way back to the Brazilian outfit. Surely the Santos owner won't be hesitant to give Neymar a new contract extension come the end of the season.

ATHLETIC BILBAO SHOW REAL VALLADOLID NO MERCY! A photo by Athletic Bilbao Athletic Bilobao showed Real Valladolid no mercy as they gave them a 7-1 whopping in the Spanish LaLiga encounter played at the San Mames stadium today. For Bilbao, Nico Williams scored a brace while Inaki Williams, Maroan Sannadi, Oihan Sancet, Mikel Jauregizer and Gorka Guruzeta scored 1 goal each. The consolation goal for Valladolid was scored by Mamadou Sylla. Problems for the Ronaldo Nazario owned side keeps on getting worse and worse. The club is struggling to win matches and get out of the relegation zone. They've lost all 5 previous matches in the league and time is slowly running out for them. Bilbao remained in 4th place regardless of the today's result.

ROBIN VAN PERSIE APPOINTED HEAD COACH OF EREDIVISIE CLUB! A photo by Feyenoord Rotterdam Former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie was unveiled as the new head coach of Eredivisie side Feyenoord Rotterdam earlier today. The 41 year old returns to the club where he made a name for himself before completing a move to the English Premier League and where he retired and started coaching.  Feyenoord also appointed Rene Hake as van Persie's assistant. "Robin van Persie is the new head coach of Feyenoord 1. The Rotterdam club has reached agreement with sc Heerenveen, where Van Persie was at the helm of the first team, on an immediate transfer that will allow the 41-year-old born Rotterdam native to start at training complex 1908 from next Monday. At De Kuip the same day, Van Persie will sign a contract until mid-2027." The club wrote on their website. "Feyenoord has also recruited René Hake to join Feyenoord 1 as assistant coach. Hake gained extensive ex...

JUNIOR MENDIETA PICTURED WITH CRISTIANO RONALDO JR! A photo by Junior Mendieta Former Mamelodi Sundowns and Stellenbosch FC midfielder Junior Mendieta seems to be enjoying life in Saudi Arabia. The 31 year midfielder who is currently in the books of Al-Faisaly SC whom he joined last month from Volos NPS was pictured with the son of Al-Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo the young Cristiano Ronaldo JR. Mendieta's team Al-Faisaly are trying to avoid being relegated to the third tier as they are now placed 15th on the Saudi Division 1 table with 21 points after match day 22. The former Stellies man hasn't seen much game time with the Saudi Arabian side as he has only played 1 game since his arrival.

HOW DO YOU RATE SHAUNE MOGAILA'S SCREAMER AGAINST CHIPPA? A photo by Sekhukhune United FC Sekhukhune United defender Shaune Mogaila showed the fans and supporters of the club what they have been missing after the 29 year old scored a long range goal to steal all the points against Chippa United yesterday at the Buffalo City stadium in a 1-0 win.  Mogaila also scooped the Man of The Match Award after his splendid performance. The yesterday match was Mogaila's second consecutive match since coming from being sidelined due to an ongoing court case. Sekhukhune United coach Lehlohonolo Seema also signaled Mogaila out in the club's midweek 4-2 win over Amazulu at the Old Peter Mokaba stadium. Seema mentioned that they should give Mogaila support at these difficult times and the only thing the club could do for him to redeem himself is to give him game time. With the 35-40 screamer Mogaila scored, Is it one of the contenders for goal of the season?

ARNE SLOT'S WORDS AHEAD OF MANCHESTER CITY ENCOUNTER! GETTY Liverpool will be travelling to the Etihad stadium today for an English Premier League encounter against the defending English Premier League champions Manchester City.  The Arne Slot side are strong candidates to lift the English Premier League title this season as they are currently leading the pack with 61 points after match day 26 and City are in 4th place with 44 points after match day 25. Arsenal who are in second place with 53 points missed out on a chance to close down the gap after losing 1-0 at home against West Ham United yesterday. Below is what Liverpool coach Arne Slot said ahead of the Manchester City encounter as reported by Sky Sports News : "Everybody is surprised that City is not up there because they've been up there for so many years. They have a great manager who has shown that he can be up there every single season. So I don't think anyone would have expected them now to be so many point...

VAR TO BE USED IN SOUTH AFRICA COME APRIL! Photo provided by IOL In about months after announcing that the Premier Soccer League will be implementing the use of Video Assistant Refereeing, The minister of Art, Sports & Culture Gayton McKenzie gave an update on how far is the process. On Friday afternoon at the NASREC meeting held at the Eastern Cape, McKenzie mentioned that come the end of April South Africa will be having VAR. This is what minister Gayton McKenzie had to say as reported by SABC Sports : "I made the promise to South Africa that VAR is coming, I said the end of April, nothing has changed, we'll see. I see there are some teams worried about VAR, I won't mention names, but those who love the sport of soccer will be happy for VAR." "If you are a corrupt referee, your time is coming to an end. VAR will expose you, and we'll prosecute the corrupt referees." "VAR is coming, I don't care who is against it. As the Minister, I'm s...

SUNDOWNS AVOID LAST WEEK'S MISTAKES AS THEY HAMMERED GALAXY 4-1 A photo by Mamelodi Sundowns FC Mamelodi Sundowns got their revenge over TS Galaxy after beating them 4-1 earlier on today at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe stadium. The Yellow Nation were stopped on their tracks last week by Galaxy as the Tim Sukazi owned side stole the points at the Mbombela stadium after registering a 1-0 scoreline. The match was heated from the get go with 3 goals scored in 9 minutes from kickoff, 2 from Sundowns and 1 from TS Galaxy. Namibian striker Peter Shalulile scored his 120th PSL goal after opening the scoring in the 1st minute and also took his goal tally to 6 in the Betway Premier League while Iqraam Rayners scored his 8th and 9th goal in the league netting in the 7th minute and 49th minute. TS Galaxy's midfielder Sphiwe Mahlangu replied before the 10th minute after rounding off  Downs keepr Jody February. Galaxy were reduced to 10 men after Victor Letsoalo was sent off after receiving...