Vuvuzela South Africa

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Two midweek matches take place to kick off Gameweek 9 in the PSL ABSA Premiership. AmaZulu will play Golden Arrows in a local derby at the Chatsworth Stadium in Durban and Ajax Cape Town will travel to the Royal Bafokeng Stadium to meet Platinum Stars.

AmaZulu v Golden Arrows

Wednesday night at the wet Chatsworth Stadium is a good night for a local derby as AmaZulu will be looking to avenge the two defeats they suffered at the hands of Golden Arrows in the MTN8.
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Usuthu were beaten by their neighbours twice in the space of six days in the cup and now have the chance make up for the losses and gain some vital points in the process.

On the AmaZulu website, Coach Neil Tovey says he is hopeful of a better showing from his troops on Wednesday evening.

“We have had a chat with the players – the whole technical team in trying to iron out the negativity. I believe the talk came out well and will benefit the team.

“Going into the derby, we know we need to work to collectively for the club. We have been playing good football lately, except for Sunday’s match, now we just need to convert that into points.

Platinum Stars v Ajax Cape Town

Platinum Stars will take their bow at the newly-renovated and FIFA World Cup training venue, Moruleng Stadium on Wednesday night as they welcome Ajax Cape Town for a crucial Absa Premiership clash. The Tycoons and The Urban Warriors will be looking to secure a three-point haul for very different reasons tonight.

The Tycoons are struggling at the wrong end of the table and are in desperate need of a win, while the Urban Warriors have the chance to move into second place.

There is positive news on the injury front for Coach Steve Komphela, who has defender Oscar Ntwagae and striker Simba Marumo in his squad for the game.

Ajax Have a Player Crisis

Ajax, meanwhile, have something of player crises with injuries, suspensions, and absentees on international duty with the Under-20 side at the World Cup in Egypt seriously limiting their squad.

“We did not have ten players against Sundowns and the players who were there represented the club very well and we managed to win away from home. The players were confident and everyone who wears the Ajax jersey does so with pride and responsibility,” Coach Muhsin Ertugral said.

Ertugral added that he is happy to continue playing the games at the moment rather than having postponements that will leave him with fixture congestion later in the campaign.

Both Matches kick off at 19.30

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Well, I don’t know about you all, but I’m a bit sick and tired of the Safa Elections and the ego dramas between Irvin Khoza and Danny Jordaan and their factions. The fans just want soccer to be run in an efficient and transparent manner in South Africa; we want more grass roots development and we want Bafana Bafana to start winning again.

Kirsten Nematandani was Elected as the President

For me the third candidate always seemed like a good compromise -  Kirsten Nematandani was elected as the president of the South African Football Association, and I really don’t care if he is Jordaan’s best friend – The Iron Duke must grow up and take it like a man.

I mean what kind of games is he playing, calling a media conference, leaving the media waiting for 45 minutes and then not turning up? He sends PSL CEO Kjetil Siem in to read a statement accusing Jordaan of crookery – on behalf of the PSL.
The man cannot even stand up and face the media and then he has to hide behind the PSL…

I think we have had enough of egos – we just want to play soccer!

I found a round up of some related stories – follow the links and you will get the picture.

PSL points finger at Jordaan

The Press briefing, which was meant to be chaired by Irvin Khoza today at the PSL offices in Parktown, started 45 minutes late and the events that unfolded during the briefing were as uncomfortable as the long wait.

The Iron Duke - Irvin Khoza

The message sent to the media had stated that Khoza was going to personally address the media on an urgent matter, but when PSL CEO Kjetil Siem kick-started the briefing, there was no sign of Khoza, in the process angering the media, who packed the room.

The PSL, as an affiliate of Safa, is clearly not happy with football’s mother body, Safa, and Danny Jordaan.

In a statement released to the media, in the middle of today’s PSL executive meeting, it is clear Jordaan is accused of dirty tactics in the run during the elections.

Khoza Must be a Man

Irvin Khoza must be a man and accept the fact that an unknown, Kirsten Nematandani, is the new president of the South African Football Association (Safa), writes iafrica.com’s Khaya Ndubane.

I have always known Irvin Khoza as man of honour, but his reported stunt to challenge the results of a democratically elected president — Kirsten Nematandani — on the basis that he will be ‘a pawn’ to Danny Jordaan leaves me cold.

How Khoza lost his grip – Football Transformation Forum Reveals Strategy

Ramatsiyi Moholoa from The Sowetan writes:

THE Football Transformation Forum has labelled its victory in securing all key Safa positions in the football governing body’s elections, as a “coup for the underdog.”

This according to FTF spokesperson Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana.

“We worked hard from day one in the LFAs (local football associations) to get the overwhelming support of Safa regions,” said Nonkonyana. “Some of us who worked underground for the ANC used some of the strategies we learnt during the apartheid era.”

Nonkanyana was appointed the new Safa deputy president at the drama-riddled elections on Saturday.
Limpopo’s Kirsten Nematandani was elected Safa president unopposed. Irvin Khoza was the hot favourite leading up to the election, followed closely by Danny Jordaan of the FTF.

The two withdrew from the race.

Jomo Sono - The "Black Prince"

Sono welcomes change at Safa

According to The Sowetan, CLUB owner and one of the country’s top football personalities Jomo Sono says the changing of the guard in the South African Football Association hierarchy could be good for the game.

Sono, dubbed the “Black Prince” in his playing days, is also a former Bafana Bafana coach.

He said he welcomed new Safa president Kirsten Nematandani, who was elected as the country’s top soccer official at a marathon Safa annual general meeting in Kempton Park on Saturday.

Said Sono: “I phoned Kirsten after his election to congratulate him. Sometimes change is good for football. I think this was a good time to change leaders and I hope he will benefit our soccer.”

Nematandani replaced Molefi Oliphant, who led Safa for 12 years. But the Limpopo-based official was the outsider and won the election after two heavyweights, Danny Jordaan and Irvin Khoza, eventually withdrew their challenge for the presidency at a tense meeting, leaving Nematandani unopposed.

Photos: Irvin Khoza – kickoff.com

Jomo Sono: Sowetan

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At last, I was there – walking into the Moses Mabhida Stadium where I could see the progress – it is breathtaking. Yes, this will be Durban’s football Stadium, but it will truly be a landmark, a must see attraction for visitors too.

And why would visitors want to spend their time at our 2010 World Cup Stadium?

Well, I know, I will take everyone to the 2010 Stadium because I have watched it from before it even happened. I watched them demolish the old soccer stadium and clear the ground and then begin with this one.

Moses Mabhida 2010 Stadium

I will also take my visitors to the Moses Mabhida Stadium because it will have shops and art galleries and restaurants and that amazing 350 m arch – well on the one side one can go up in a kind of cable car to a viewing platform (106 m above the pitch) and the other, with a harness, climb the stairs. And from here, you can see spectacular panoramic views over the ocean and the city. Half way up will be some kind of swing – I guess like a cross between a trapeze and a bungee, that the brave and daring can swing out over the stadium.

But coming back to the present, I visited the Moses Mabhida Stadium with City Manager Dr Michael Sutcliffe, International Relations head honcho Eric Appelgren and his right hand Shelley Gielink and a delegation from Durban’s Sister City’s – here for the annual Celebrate Durban week..

Multi Coloured Seating and Turf

Although the building is still going on all around, one can see that things are being finished off. The multi-coloured seats (with plenty of legroom) are in and the special turf has been laid.

According to the Durban 2010 website, because the pitch is designed to accommodate various sports played during different seasons, two types of grasses will be installed: Warm Season and Cool Season.

Pitch Design

The pitch has been design and built by Ibhola Lethu Consortium (ILC), which has been responsible for the pitch design at Coca-Cola Park (formerly Ellis Park Stadium), Johannesburg’s Soccer City, and the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, among others.

The Moses Mabhida (aka Durban Football or Soccer Stadium) Stadium will seat 70 000 roaring fans for the FIFA 2010 World Cup™, with 54 000 seats in its normal mode. It has the potential to expand to 85/90 000 seats to meet the requirements of large-scale events like the Olympic Games.

Fred Hatman Also Visited the Moses Mabhida Stadium

My friend, Fred Hatman also visited the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday. He is such a great writer; here is just a short extract from his post titled A Golden Day at Durban’s 2010 World Cup Stadium … in 2019.

“My mind fast-forwarded to June 2010 and the lip-smacking prospect of watching the likes of Steven Gerrard, Kaka and Lionel Messi perform their wizardry right here in the middle of Durban. My eyes glistened and closed and then I was strangely transported beyond this to a day in 2019. It is the 25th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic government and a tribute match is being played right here, right before my very eyes, in Durban’s World Cup stadium, now nine years old.

Moses Mabhida glowed bleach-white in the sub-tropical sunshine and the sky-sweeping arch continued to oversee the vibrancy and energy of our beautiful game. I was craning my head over the bouncing mass of the full-house crowd, trying to get a view of the world’s finest footballers celebrating the birth of the still-new South Africa.”

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Ever hear the story about two dogs fighting over a bone and the third one walking off with it? Well after a day and night of drama outsider Kirsten Nematandani was elected unopposed as the new president of the South African Football Association at a turbulent annual general meeting held in Kempton Park on this weekend.

Nematandani, who heads the Safa Referees Committee, will have Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana and Mandla “Shooz” Mazibuko as his vice presidents. Both men were also elected unopposed after five other candidates withdrew from the race.

Kirsten Nematandani’ – Shock Election

Kirsten Nematandani’s shock election is seen as a victory for the Football Transformation Forum (FTF) of which Danny Jordaan, one of the other presidential candidates, is the head.

It appears Jordaan and the FTF outmaneuvered his greatest rival for the Safa presidency, Irvin Khoza, the Iron Duke, in a tense standoff, which resulted in both men withdrawing from the presidential race on Saturday night. It has to be so, it became impossible for wither Jordaan or Khoza to take over the reigns as Safa president because of too much acrimony, not just between their men, but also between their followers.

Irvin Khoza and Danny Jordaan – Giant of SA Soccer

These two giants of South African Soccer, Irvin Khoza, and Danny Jordaan were the leading lights in bringing the 2010 World Cup to South Africa. At present Jordaan is the 2010 Local Organising Committee CEO while Khoza is chair of the 2010 LOC. But when the Safa Presidency came up, they both wanted more. They wanted control of Safa.

Photo of Kirsten Nematandani – South African Football Association (Safa)

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