Sundowns come from behind to down Celtic and advance to MTN8 semis Mamelodi Sundowns started slowly, and went behind, but then maximised their
lifelines as they eventually ran out 3-1 winners
Madlala is erratic on being available on her cellphone, where previous CEOs could always be reached on important issues. And there have been important issues, quite apart from a global pandemic. The sale of Wits by Bidvest was unavoidable once that company decided it was necessary, but there were serious questions over what efforts, or lack of, were made to ensure the continuation of a 99-year-old club in the National First Division (NFD).
All the Fixtures: Friday‚ 27 October 2017: Maritzburg United v Platinum Stars (Harry Gwala Stadium‚ 8pm) Saturday‚ 28 October 2017: Golden Arrows v Orlando Pirates (Princess Magogo Stadium‚ 3. 30pm) Polokwane City v Ajax Cape Town (Old Peter Mokaba Stadium‚ 3. 30pm) Bloemfontein Celtic v SuperSport United (Dr Molemela Stadium‚ 6pm) Bidvest Wits v Free State Stars (Bidvest Stadium‚ 8. 15pm) Kaizer Chiefs v AmaZulu (Moses Mabhida Stadium‚ 8. 15pm) Sunday‚ 29 October 2017: Baroka FC v Cape Town City (Peter Mokaba Stadium‚ 3.
Sundowns come from behind to down Celtic and advance to MTN8 semisThapelo Morena's cross from the right found the late run into the area of left-back Tebogo Langerman, who was free, but could not control. From there, Sundowns drifted as Celtic seemed content in the opening half to spoil. In the 25th Morena, almost a winger with his darting runs around the area, made ground on the right and shot hard, young goalkeeper Sipho Chaine - a late replacement in Celtic's XI for Jackson Mabokgwane - pushing for a corner.
How Bloemfontein Celtic learnt to live within their means Bloemfontein Celtic have learnt to live within their means and are trying
to make the best of a difficult situation in the wake of
Why John Maduka is a happy man as Bloem Celtic eye final date with Orlando Pirates Bloemfontein Celtic coach John Maduka says his team are based on a balanced
midfield where the left and right-footed combination of
No meeting was granted, and one-line answers were returned. More than a year later, the situation remains unchanged. It is symptomatic of the decline in standards that all the PSL's previous CEOs, from Trevor Phillips to Brand de Villiers, prioritised keeping the public informed through media departments much professionalised by communications heads Altaaf Kazi and then September. September's departure to join the Confederation of African Football (Caf) in December 2020 left a hole where there has been no senior spokesperson who media can call for comment on issues.
Safa tells PSL it cannot provide eight amateur teams for Nedbank Cup Mamelodi Sundowns will begin the defence of the Nedbank Cup at home against
Stellenbosch FC while last season's losing
Particularly it has shone a light on the management conduct of acting CEO Mato Madlala, apparently with the blessings of chair Irvin Khoza. The deafening silence on issues — apart from the odd press conference held after the fact, with limited questions allowed due to a televised format — and apparent complete lack of interest on keeping the public informed on important developments, has been bewildering. This was glaring during the negotiations between the PSL, SA Football Association (Safa) and the government for a return to play between March and June 2020. Countless PSL executive committee (exco) and inter-body meetings were held where then-communications director Luxolo September would post their occurrence on the media WhatsApp group, saying he hoped to put out a statement afterwards.
Orlando Pirates announce two big signings Orlando Pirates have announced the signings of winger or fullback Craig
Martin and playmaker Ndumiso
Ralani late show breaks the hearts of Celtic players as Cape Town City win five-goal thriller Surprise Ralani engineered a remarkable second half comeback for Cape Town
City with two goals in the space of as many minutes as the
PSL Golden Boot: Who's still in the running in the final week? Goal takes a look at Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile and the
players, who are still in the running for this season's PSL
That TTM owner Lawrence Mulaudzi resold within eight months amid well-documented financial troubles raises questions on what auditing was done into a club owner who allegedly had trouble paying players in the NFD? The handling by the PSL of Royal AM's court battle to be reinstated 2020-21 NFD champions raised questions. When Royal owner Shauwn Mkhize eventually bought Celtic in August, finally the PSL held a press conference where Khoza and legal head Michael Murphy attempted to smooth over burning issues, but key questions were left unanswered.
Baroka FC vs Bloemfontein Celtic: Prediction, kick-off time and head-to-head Here's everything you need to know about Baroka FC vs Bloemfontein Celtic
in the PSL - including kick off time, head-to-head record and
Bloemfontein Celtic vs Mamelodi Sundowns Preview: Kick-off time, TV channel, squad news Mamelodi Sundowns will be hoping to avoid two straight matches without
recording victory when they visit Bloemfontein Celtic on
OPINION | PSL on a fast track to becoming an administrative embarrassmentThe Premier Soccer League (PSL) is in danger of stepping on to a heavily soaped-up slip-and-slide that someone unwisely placed on a steep grass bank, at the bottom of which is the pool of administrative mediocrity of the pre-2000s. A league that had made great gains in administrative quality since its launch in the 1996-97 season seems intent on undoing much of those gains with questionable decision-making and shocking lack of professionalism. The handling of the sale of Bidvest Wits to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM), of the Royal AM court matter and sale of Bloemfontein Celtic, and now Kaizer Chiefs' request for match postponements after 36 cases of Covid-19, have raised serious question marks about the decision-making of the PSL's senior managers.
But Downs had not stamped their authority in the opening 45 minutes. And Celtic had looked dangerous and capable of creating chances in the final third, when they got there. Not long into the second half Siwelele earned a free-kick in a good scoring position. In-form Mabena struck it well, with a good swerve, though goalkeeper Denis Onyango would normally expect to do better having thrown himself across for a touch. Sundowns earned a lifeline when Makgalwa, on moments earlier for Gaston Sirino, seemed to go down easily under the challenge of centreback Mzwanele Mahashe on the right of Celtic's box.
Almost always that statement never arrived, as September had to issue an apology, his instructions clearly coming from higher up. That the PSL found it a low priority to keep the public informed on even the barest details of what was being discussed on a subject of that magnitude — the greatest challenge SA football ever faced — is mind-boggling. For football media, it has been the exclusion from stadiums — with absolutely no explanation from the PSL — despite all other major sports including rugby and cricket having allowed journalists' return once government regulations allowed it from November 2020, that has made the current level of lack of professionalism personal.
How had the PSL allowed the sale of a club to Mkhize after she had dragged the league through the courts and was facing a disciplinary hearing for Royal's four no-shows in the promotion playoffs? How had Mulaudzi, who had struggled financially with clubs, been allowed to buy Royal's NFD status? If the NSL Handbook ruling is that club owners may not buy a new team within a year, and in the documentation the PSL named Nozipho Ngubo, Mkhize’s sister, as “the acquirer” of Celtic on behalf of Royal, how can such a bending of the rules be considered best practice? Why have the rule if it can be so easily circumvented? The Royal saga has been followed by the Chiefs matter. Again, the PSL's silence is deafening.
PSL announces Telkom Knockout dates and venuesThe Premier Soccer League (PSL) has announced the dates and venues for the Telkom Knockout first round to be played on the weekend of October 27 across the country. Action starts on Friday night when Maritzburg United host Platinum Stars at Harry Gwala Stadium at 8pm. Saturday will see five fixtures with Golden Arrows hosting Orlando Pirates at Princess Magogo Stadium‚ Ajax Cape Town making the trip to Polokwane City at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium and Bloemfontein Celtic hosting last season’s finalists SuperSport United at Dr Molemela Stadium. On Saturday evening Bidvest Wits renew their cup rivalry with Free State Stars at Bidvest Stadium while Kaizer Chiefs visit AmaZulu at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. The opening round will be concluded by two matches on Sunday afternoon with defending champions Cape Town City starting the defence of their title against Baroka FC at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane and Mamelodi Sundowns visiting Chippa United at Sisa Dukashe in East London.
Still there has been no official statement on the status — postponed or not — of the two games Chiefs have failed to honour against Cape Town City on Saturday and Golden Arrows on Wednesday, or even the barest details of what has been discussed in three exco meetings on Friday, Monday and Wednesday. The league has apparently backed itself into a corner, facing a pandemic where flexibility seems necessary, with a previous ruling denying NFD side Cape Umoya a match postponement in a similar situation, and an exco circular stating that Covid-19 issues cannot be a reason for putting off games. The lack of decisive action means six days after Chiefs made public their request for postponements, no-one at the PSL seems to know if they have or will be granted, and if they do, they're not telling anyone.
Mayambela's sole focus on player development While Mark Mayambela has been inspired by Daine Klate's appointment as
Chippa United head coach last week, he says he is not in a rush
But it should not be just personal to the scribes. Journalists at stadiums inform the public. It is a wider disrespect to the football supporter being exercised. The new SA Football Journalists' Association (Safja) wrote numerous letters to the PSL asking why journalists were not being allowed back to the grounds, and asked for meetings to broach the subject with Madlala.
Kaizer Chiefs set to face Bloem Celtic with their backs against the wall Life on the Kaizer Chiefs bench has been arduous for Gavin Hunt and there
were times when the increasingly pressured coach had the