The making of Nkosingiphile Ngcobo
The Kaizer Chiefs’ exciting midfielder had a difficult journey to the top, including a stint in an operation that is accused of peddling young footballers for profit.
Stories by: Conrad Abrahams
The genius of Clive Barker
The only South African coach to win the Nations Cup is renowned for his man-management skills, but there was more to him than that. Those who played for him explain what made him great.
The shaping of Bongokuhle Hlongwane
The 21-year-old’s talent was raw but through careful training and encouragement at Maritzburg United, he is a star in the making. And now he is off to the United States.
Royal AM saga is a right royal mess
Critics of the Premier Soccer League say it is allowing money to break all the rules, playing favourites and silencing those who dare to question it.
Lessons from the Kaizer Chiefs march
Amakhosi supporters’ unprecedented peaceful protest shook the establishment and started an important conversation about how fans can engage with their clubs in a productive manner.
Covid’s damage to SA football scouting and coaching
Professional football has been played behind closed doors since August 2020. Not allowing scouts and analysts into the stadiums has affected their work and altered the ways in which players are analysed.
Long Read | SA football needs a reboot
Former Safa technical directors Fran Hilton-Smith and Serame Letsoaka assess why the dysfunctional association is on its knees and how to get South African football back in contention.
The making of football genius Themba Zwane
From being overlooked in the amateur ranks to having to adapt quickly to playing football for Sundowns and being compared to Doctor Khumalo, Zwane’s rise has been as unpredictable as his game.
Kaizer Chiefs is in need of a revival
South Africa’s most successful football team is struggling to sign the best players, playing unappetising football and have gone five seasons without a trophy. Gavin Hunt has his work cut out for him.
Pitso Mosimane on SA’s bittersweet World Cup legacy
The former Bafana assistant coach got the top job after the 2010 Fifa World Cup, left in embarrassing fashion and then bounced back to conquer Africa. But SA football hasn’t had such a remarkable transition.
Has the 2010 football sponsorship bubble burst?
The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated sport and the economies built around it. The effects will be felt for years to come, so what will South African football look like after this?
What do the next 50 years hold for Kaizer Chiefs?
Amakhosi’s 50th birthday provided the opportunity to walk down a glorious and trophy-laden memory lane. But the football club’s dominance is being challenged, affecting the next 50 years.
The making of SuperSport United’s double act
Midfielders Teboho Mokoena and Sipho Mbule from the Harmony Academy in Virginia complement each other on and off the pitch, with one bringing discipline and the other creativity.
The state of football refereeing in SA
The South African Football Association has chosen to bury its head in the sand when the competence of its referees is questioned amid the growing number of mistakes its officials are committing.
Ernst Middendorp sets the record straight
The combustible Kaizer Chiefs coach opens up about his upbringing, how he handled his football career ending at 21 and why he is unlovable.
Wounds of Ellis Park disaster still raw 18 years on
The mother of the youngest victim in the Ellis Park disaster recollects that tragic day and continues her call for the PSL to do more to honour the 43 people who lost their lives.
Thamsanqa Mkhize, the silent warrior
The man of few words lets his football do the talking. The results are so loud that what started as a murmur in Cape Town will now be heard in Cairo in June.