PITSO FOR PRESIDENT! Mamelodi Sundowns do the nation proud in Egypt

PROVING A POINT: Tiyani Mabunda got the opener

PITSO FOR PRESIDENT! Can there be any other response to Mamelodi Sundowns superb win in Cairo on Sunday night?

There was a time when beating Al Ahly or Zamalek in Egypt was unthinkable. Orlando Pirates went some way to disproving that theory in 2013, but Masandawana finally destroyed the myth with a 2-1 win at the PetroSport Stadium.

Tiyani Mabunda, the man who had his superb debut goal taken away when Algeria’s ES Setif were disqualified after crowd trouble in the opening game, got Sundowns underway with a cool follow-up after Khama Billiat hit the post in the first half.

A rusty Dennis Onyango, Uganda’s Player of the Year and the PSL’s Goalkeeper of the Season, then got tangled up with centre-back Thabo Nthethe, the PSL Defender of the year, allowing Mo Ibrahim a fortunate equaliser.

But in the second half, after Leonardo Castro hit the bar, Keagan Dolly produced the assist for PSL Player of the Season Billiat to thread home the winner.

OUCH: scorer Mo Ibrahim's broken ankle

The highly-rated Egyptians, unable to fill their stadium due to crowd restrictions, sang themselves to a stand-still… but the players failed to respond. Their nose for goal was about as effective as the crumbled feature on the front of their historic Sphinx after Ibrahim went off with what look like a badly broken ankle.

Ultimately, this win - following on from the home victory over Nigeria’s Enyimba - should see Pitso Mosimane’s record-breaking PSL champions through to the semi-finals of the African Champions League with two to play.

With Setif thrown out, two from three qualify - and Sundowns are simply too well equipped to fail from here.

What was it Pitso said? "I always tell the boys, as long as it’s 11 against 11 on the pitch and the referee is doing his job well, then we should be able to play our normal game. What’s good is that no one is afraid of teams like Zamalek any more."

Yup, the same coach who described football in Africa as "a jungle" after the defeat against Medeama!

The prospect of a continental triumph for the first time since Orlando Pirates in 1995 is starting to dawn. Not bad for a side knocked out of the competition by AS Vita and then dumped from the secondary CAF Confederations Cup by Medeama earlier in the season.

Yes, Sundowns slipped in through the back door when Vita were found guilty of fielding an ineligible player. But to have their opening win in Algeria torn away from them by CAF makes up for that giant slice of fortune.

With Mosimane forced to bring people back from holiday - some without contracts - when the news of their reprieve broke, Sundowns have been little short of miraculous during the South African off-season.

With Enyimba to play in Nigeria and Zamalek in Tshwane, Pitso and his CBD stand on the verge of the semi-finals with Castro classy, Billiat brilliant and Dolly dominant.

15 years after their one and only appearance in the final in 2001, few would bet against them going all the way again. Pitso, who described Africa as “a jungle” and complained about the refereeing following the double failure earlier in the season, will have a very broad smile this morning.

And a final thought I've just put on twitter: Sitting here thinking DOLLY should have 20 @BafanaBafana caps, PITSO should replace #shaky and @IamKhamaBilliat should be in the Premier League.

KING OF THE JUNGLE: Pitso Mosimane's champions must make the most of their THIRD chance in Africa

Giant leap for Sundowns: Pitso Mosimane is back in Africa

“Everyone says it’s difficult for South African teams in African competitions, but the referees were cheating – you saw that. How can we play?

“In CAF competitions, for South Africans, it’s very difficult, you saw them cheating.

“I thought what happened to us in South Africa against AS Vita was bad, but this was unbelievable! We had people from Medeama coming to our bench and fighting us, and we had to fight back. It’s unbelievable.

“The new Fifa president has a lot of work to do in CAF. Africa is behind. It’s a jungle.”

Those were the words of Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane after his side slipped out of the CAF Confederations Cup - without live television coverage - against SC Medeama in Ghana on May 18.

Then came last week’s bombshell: AS Vita, the club who knocked Masandawana out of the Champions League a month before, had been expelled from the tournament after fielding an ineligible player.

In the space of an hour, Sundowns - having just set a record of 71 points in a 30-game PSL season - had broken another record. They became the only team in the history of African football to reach the group stages of the African Champions League after getting knocked out of BOTH continental competitions.

Mosimane’s surprise was palpable. Drawn in a tough group with Nigeria’s Enyimba, Orlando Pirates’ nemesis ES Setif from Algeria and our old friends Zamalek from Egypt, Sundowns face massive changes to their planned off-season with six gruelling clashes between June 17 and August 23.

Pitso said: “As you can imagine, we already have players who have booked their trips home and holidays.

“Of course it's exciting to be back in the Champions League. That’s the big one, and we want to be in that space. It wasn't the way we intended, but we'll take it.

“In South Africa we have the quality to play in continental competitions against other top sides. We have to take what we learnt from our matches.

"We know it's win at all costs in Africa, but Sundowns will maintain their integrity and we hope represent the country well.”

Compare those quotes with his rant at the start of the story. Pitso is going back to the jungle… with or without television coverage or much visible enthusiasm from their fans.

Bizarrely, despite their earlier failed efforts, Sundowns have enough depth to confound and qualify for the semi-finals of the African Champions League, to restore some of South Africa’s battered pride.

Keagan Dolly’s Rio Olympic preparations may have to take a back seat, but Sundowns can become Kings of the Jungle. 

CHAMPIONS! Hail Pitso, six months after the Sundowns fans wanted him out

RUNNING THE RISK: Faty Papy in hospital last December

We could talk about the racism of Matthew Theunissen today. Just been listening to the fool on the radio. But where will that get us?

Let's talk about Wits University's professional football team instead. A club long divorced from the Clever Boys it once represented, a club with a tiny following, punching above its weight.

On Saturday, they might have had two penalties against Chippa United in a 1-1 draw which essentially ended their championship dreams.

And as coach Gavin Hunt said afterwards they had chances “from one yard, my daughter could have stuck one away” as he neatly side-stepped the issue of his top scorer James Keene remaining benched throughout the 90 minutes.

Or perhaps we could talk about their 25-year-old Burundian Faty Papy collapsing again during Saturday’s game. When the same thing happened on December 8 last year, he was rushed to hospital and emerged saying: “I’m fine, the doctors have told me not to speak to the media.”

But nobody will talk, even the chatty Gavin Hunt won’t pick up the phone. And let’s be honest, nobody cares about Wits, who play at a ground with a capacity of 5000 and one of the biggest budgets in South African football thanks to Bidvest.

The point is, Wits' failure to put the pressure on Mamelodi Sundowns has been a major let down this season, as the Soweto giants have failed to make anything approaching a title challenge.

Pitso Mosimane’s men could even break the record 69-point haul Kaizer Chiefs mustered last season. If they win their last three games - one of them against Wits on May 11 - they will set a new mark of 71 points.

Even a defeat against Hunt’s men - who need to be Aces tonight - is unlikely to dent Sundowns title challenge, which should be all wrapped up if they beat lowly AmaTuks tomorrow night.

That would take Masandawana and their billionaire owner Patrice Motsepe to SEVEN titles since the PSL was formed in 1996 - not bad given the club were repossessed by Standard Bank from Zola Mahobe in 1988.

That makes Sundowns by some distance the dominant force of the PSL over the past 20 years, a fact not lost on KaboYellow supporters.

What is lost is this: in September last year, Sundowns fans were trying to remove Mosimane from his position as head coach after defeats against Mpumalanga Black Aces and Golden Arrows.

REMEMBER WHEN: Pitso Mosimane gets a police escort

And before that, in April 2013, angry fans forced him to rely on a police escort to emerge safely from Sundowns’ game against Bloemfontein Celtic at Pilditch Stadium.

But since he took over from the Dutchman Johan Neeskens in December 2012 and finished 10th, Mosimane in his three full seasons has finished FIRST, SECOND and this season FIRST.

And even as he achieved the sensational run, Pitso has drastically cut Sundowns infamous spending, sorted out the behind-the-scenes problems and created a cohesive unit at Chloorkop.

So when Pitso makes us laugh with his “eating grass” post-match interviews, when he sheds tears after defeat, stop and think a moment. He’s the best local coach around, Bafana Bafana should never have sacked him, he works hard and created a new CBD in Tshwane.

But then tomorrow night all that might be forgotten. The job will be done. Pitso will be King. Until they lose a couple of games and the vultures begin to hover.

STUART BAXTER EXCLUSIVE: The best season of my career, the struggles... And the future

You wouldn't think Stuart Baxter had just completed the most satisfying season of his long and varied coaching career. You'd hardly notice he has just broken a host of PSL records to guide Kaizer Chiefs to 69 points and a 12-point cushion over crushed champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

In fact, speaking to Stuart on Monday afternoon, as the hype over coronation settled after a sell-out game at the Nelson Mandela Stadium left one fan shot dead by a police revolver, you'd think Baxter had been in charge at Choppa United or Queens Park Strangers.

Oh, he's proud. And he's content with what his squad achieved given that their best striker only scored 7 goals and their only big signing failed to score a league goal in half a season.

Barker, born in Wolverhampton 61 years ago, has coached all over the world, from Scandinavia to Japan and he concedes: "In terms of records and domination, you're right, it has to be the best. It was a real struggle at times, people may not have appreciated that, but we got the job done.

"There was a point, after all the hype over our fabulous start, when it looked like a dip was coming. When we lost and drew a couple, people were saying crisis.

"But this time the lads dug in, they held their nerve and we got the train back on track with some decisive 1-0 wins and although our rivals were asking "Is this another Chiefs crisis" we were able to make sure it didn't develop, and suddenly we were winning again.

"The key? Our defence, obviously. Tefu Mashamaite and Tshepo Masilela were magnificent, so was Tower Mathoho and Siboniso Gaxa, like Tefu, barely missed a game.

"Most of our goals came from set pieces or midfield, where Willard Katsande turned in to more of an all-rounder, making 25 yard passes and intercepting rather than clobbering the opposition.

"Willard even got a goal in the final game, we celebrated that one - we'd worked on a new set piece for two weeks to set it up!"

But for a man who has just won a double of PSL and MTN8 and taken his prize money over three seasons to over R50m, there was little of the Mourinho swagger.

Baxter leaves for Sweden and the UK at the end of month, like he has for the last two seasons. but this time, there are important meetings to be held with Bobby Motaung about signings, new contracts and the mythical academy at Naturena.

Though Baxter has played little part in previous signings - notably David Zulu's R4m move with a knee injury - this time he intends to play a major role in a winter of substantial change at the club, with TWELVE players headed for the exit door.

And he insists that, if he stays at the club, the African Champions League will be taken seriously, as it was this year, though Chiefs suffered a first round knock-out at the hands of Morocco's Raja Casablanca.

Baxter insists: "People who understand the game know we went to Casablanca with a full squad, we won a lot of friends for the way we played. we travelled knowing we had lost the home leg and had vital domestic games to worry about but we DID take it seriously and lost to one of the best teams in Africa.

"We can't beat teams like that without investing in our squad. You know we needed a striker. We had James Keene over for a look, he did well. He's 29, did well in Germany, and he was a free agent. The deal was on the table but it was ignored.

"There are two or three  local strikers we're looking at but there's not much about. You know about Rob Earnshaw (former Wales international) being interested and that's the kind of thing we have to consider.

"We don't want to go down the root of Japanese football, opening doors to players who have passed their sell-by date but look at what New Zealand's Jeremy Brockie has achieved in half a season.

"That's the kind of player I'm talking about, looking for quality where ever we can find it."

Baxter touched on his dream of a new Kaizer Chiefs Academy - the last was shut down five years ago after age cheating problems - and insists: "The Academy has moved on a little bit further, the pitches and dressing rooms are finished at the village, accommodation and education facilities are underway.

"But now need the coaches, a technical director. It hasn't always gone as I would have hoped."

On the thorny subject of dwindling PSL attendances, Baxter and his champions enjoyed huge crowds at Atteridgeville and Port Elizabeth AFTER the title was won but he admits: "It seems to be a problem in South Africa, it could be economics,  I don't know, sometimes we had fantastic support, sometimes felt we needed a bit of a hand from the AmaKhosi in numbers when it mattered most."

But the real problem, perhaps the underlying factor behind his low-key response to a clinical championship charge, lies in Baxter's involvement in refreshing the squad this winter.

He is reluctant to make waves about his future, but ANY top African club - and those beyond our continent - would surely show an interest in acquiring the man who has led Chiefs to two League titles - without massive spending - in three seasons.

"If I stay," he says cautiously, "We are going to have to have a big rotation. I'd have to be a mug to take over a squad I don't choose myself."

When I suggest five players who may not be offered new contracts he says: "I can come up with 12 without even stopping to think. That's a major overhaul. That's what these meetings are about before I leave for Europe. I need to have my input.

"If I get fobbed off, I will cast the net, look at other opportunities. I will allow rumors to gather strength. You can say 12 players will be moved out, if they're replaced by somebody else, how can I stay?"

Sent from my iPad

The job is done: Pitso Mosimane and Mamelodi Sundowns romp to the PSL title with a game to spare

Celebration time: Sundowns fans invade Loftus last night

IT'S done. And with plenty of Pitso panache.

For 45 minutes last night, Mamelodi Sundowns' championship charge looked like being a drab funeral march.

In the end, with coach Pitso Mosimane telling his men "nobody can stop us scoring goals" it had turned in to a rousing 3-0 triumph and another wwwwwwwwwwin in a triumphant streak nobody else could match.

After a post-match pitch invasion, coach Mosimane emerged to say: "It's amazing. I came here to help Masandawana avoid relegation... and now we are champions."

After a flat first half, we didn't have to wait long for the first Surprise - yes, that man Moriri getting the opener against hapless SuperSport United to begin the landslide in front of a huge crowd, enjoying free entrance to Loftus Versfeld for wearing KaboYellow.

Then came the fairy-tale moment. Teko Modise, the man who just missed out on the trebles at SuperSport United and Orlando Pirates, produced a visionary 35-yard effort to catch Ronwen Williams off his line. A cracking way to break the title jinx and install himself as firm favourite for the Player of the Season accolades after a third successive Man of the Match performance.

Afterwards Modise said: "We said at half-time we had to play another way. I'm glad to repay Pitso's faith in me. I've always been involved with him. He's very emotional. He's never won the PSL either. I lost for words... I'm just so happy."

Pitso Mosimane, now the first black South African coach to win the PSL, did a Jose Mourinho style run up the touchline in response to Teko's magic strike. The Tshwane fans finally had something to shout about. And all was well in a PSL world which had seen just one first-half goal in SEVEN GAMES.

At 2-0, it was all over. But Cuthbert Malajila capped it all with a third and despite Kaizer Chiefs beating AmaTuks 1-0 - a Killer Mphela penalty decided it - the seven-year wait for a Masandawana title was DONE.

Mosimane added: "Patrice Motsepe called me when we had drawn two games and we were 11 points behind Chiefs. He said I must relax. But I always said we would win this. Now I must call Roger de Sa and ask him how he got to the African Champions League final."

The AmaKhosi cannot begrudge Sundowns this title. Stuart Baxter's men had it all wrapped up amid a nine-match unbeaten run barely two months ago but they tailed off badly, just as they did last season when they hung on to win it from Platinum Stars.

Elsewhere, amid that second-half goal-rush, Golden Arrows finally fell through the relegation trap-door when they lost 1-0 at KwaZulu Natal rivals AmaZulu and Gavin Hunt's Bidvest Wits could only manage a goalless draw.

With their kick-off delayed 15 minutes to allow their yellow-clad fans free entrance, Sundowns finished their title triumph in glorious isolation.

Mind the gap: How it looked

Not since Screamer Tshabalala did it with Sundowns in the 1980s has the South African championship been won by an African coach. Pitso has talked of sweating blood, eating grass and shedding tears this season, and I for one loved every minute.

He has his critics after a difficult spell in charge of the national team but in truth his results with Bafana Bafana easily match incumbent Gordon Igesund's efforts.

For Mosimane and his billionaire owner Patrice Motsepe, the job is done. Dutch legend Johan Neeskens and a host of foreigners just couldn't get Chloorkop together. Pitso did. In style, with a game to play he has already broken the points record for a 30-game season.

A crowd invasion delayed the post-match interviews but who cane blame the long-suffering Tshwane fans after three years of Soweto dominance?

With 64 points already on the board, Pitso grinned: "Our last game against Maritzburg United on Saturday will be just another league game. Training like normal. We want to add to that record!"

BOLLOCKZ! my innovative football show on www.ballz.co.za airs every Thursday from 9am-11am. See Ballz' channel for our growing library of fascinating football interviews with the big names. 

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice.

FULL LIST OF PSL WINNERS AND POINTS TALLIES on 30-game format

2002-2003: Orlando Pirates 61, Supersport United 55

2003-2004: Kaizer Chiefs 63 (highest), Ajax Cape Town 57

2004-2005: Kaizer Chiefs 62, Orlando Pirates 60

2005-2006: Mamelodi Sundowns 57, Orlando Pirates 54

2006-2007: Mamelodi Sundowns 61, Silver Stars 51

2007-2008: SuperSport United 54 (lowest), Ajax Cape Town 52

2008-2009: SuperSport United 55, Orlando Pirates 55

2009-2010: SuperSport United 57, Mamelodi Sundowns 56

2010-2011: Orlando Pirates 60, Ajax Cape Town 60

2011-2012: Orlando Pirates 58, Moroka Swallows 56

2012-2013: Kaizer Chiefs 57, Platinum Stars 56

CHAMPIONS DETHRONED: Did a simple lack of Knowledge bring down Kaizer Chiefs?

Double trouble: Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter

ON THE RIGHT TRACKS: Kaizer Chiefs
looked unbeatable two months ago

Kaizer Chiefs fans, you are not alone. Just like the reigning champions in Spain and England, South Africa’s mighty AmaKhosi are left asking: “Where did it all go wrong?”

Uniquely, while FC Barcelona and Manchester United can blame the loss of their crowns on managerial changes, Kaizer Chiefs retained Stuart Baxter – the first foreign coach ever to win South Africa’s domestic championship in his first season – but still failed to reach the double-winning heights of last season.

Like Barca without Pep (and the late Tito) or United without Fergie, Kaizer Chiefs have finished out of the running (barring miracles), ending a potless season scratching their heads while their rivals compete for Champions League and domestic trophies.

Ironically, for the latter part of Saturday’s morale-busting penalty shoot-out defeat in the Nedbank Cup semi-final at Wits University, we actually saw a little of the old Chiefs panache.

Gavin Hunt’s men were outplayed for most of the extra-time period, before Moeneeb Josephs superb opening save in the shoot-out sent them surging through on penalties.

And just to really rub salt in the wounds, Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates then saw off Steve Komphela’s unfashionable Maritzburg United 2-1 to reach their FOURTH final of the season on May 17 at the mighty Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

DERAILED: The Chiefs express is in trouble

Suddenly, after a season which has seen the vast AmaKhosi clan laughing at the Buccaneers as they switched coaches and struggled to win their games in hand, it’s Pirates who look like the more successful club this season. Four finals is a record not to be sniffed out. The MTN8, Telkom KO and African Champions League bring rich rewards despite last-hurdle defeats … and even if they lose all four and go down to Wits in the Nedbank final, rather four cup finals than NONE.

All of which leaves Stuart Baxter – and the Motaung family – pulling their collective hair out. Two months ago, Chiefs were nailed on for the PSL title, unbeaten from November 5 and NEVER beaten at home under their Wolverhampton-born boss.

And now we come to the crucial question: Where did it all go wrong? Was it that first ever home defeat against Allan Freese’s Platinum Stars, who have barely won a game since?

Or how about the trip to DR Congo when, without television coverage or a single South African football reporter to witness it, they went down 3-0 to AS Vita as the Champions League train was firmly derailed?

Or perhaps it was Bernard Parker’s ankle. He’s played with strapping since early in the year – but the PSL’s top goal-scorer (with a measly 10) has failed to add to his tally since February despite starting throughout the run-in.

But no, in essence, it was none of these things. The real damage was done by the injury to another ankle. When Knowledge Musona began to struggle, so did Chiefs. Musona, still haggling with Bundesliga club Hoffenheim over his loan deal at Naturena, scored the Champions League hat-trick in Mozambique, he produced the goals which kept the four-month unbeaten streak going, and in truth (with 15 goals in all competitions) he was always the Chiefs spearhead.

And just as we joked about “Knowledge is power” and “a little bit of Knowledge is a dangerous thing” so we found that, without Knowledge Chiefs couldn’t overcome the Clever Boys when it mattered.

Baxter tried manfully to manage the grinding disappointment of semi-final failure. He said: “Penalties it is what it is; it is a very, very fine line. I must just say congratulations to Gavin Hunt and his boys and I wish them all the best in the final.”

But he was unable to summon the tears which accompanied Pitso Mosimane’s post-match display when champions-elect crashed out of the Nedbank Cup.

He tried to explain the pressure, the drain of the African Champions League: “We have done what we can in very trying circumstances and no-one has complained. We’ve gone on with it. I don’t know if anyone reflects on it, but those last 15 minutes today were more than I could have asked for.

“And going to extra-time is not what you want. If anybody says these players have let anybody down, they don't know anything about football.”

It’s strong stuff that, from a man who questioned his role at a club where the fans were booing Kingston Nkhatha even when Chiefs were top of the League.

Of course, things could yet turn around for Kaizer Chiefs (and Barcelona) with SuperSport United coach Cavin Johnson insisting his side will give their all against Masandawana tomorrow night. But it's highly unlikely.

Predictably, in the darker realms of the social networks, there are those calling for “Baxter out” just as Manchester United and Barcelona supporters reacted to their disappointments this season.

But that would be a mistake. Baxter can recover from this slump, this shocking failure (barring a miracle) to defend the trophies he won last year. But to do that, he’ll need a little bit more Knowledge.

BOLLOCKZ! my innovative football show on www.ballz.co.za airs every Thursday from 9am-11am. See Ballz' channel for our growing library of fascinating football interviews with the big names. 

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice.

A crime of passion: why Pitso's tears are not a sign of weakness but determination

The pain of defeat: Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane

In football, what goes around comes around. Just ask Pitso Mosimane, still top of the PSL today but harshly ejected from the Nedbank Cup on Saturday.

Tomorrow night, Mosimane but shake off the tearful cup hangover and resume league action against Clive Barker's in-form Mpumalanga Black Aces while champions Kaizer Chiefs go to lowly Polokwane City.

But what exactly HAPPENED to Mosimane’s Masandawana at the weekend? They were giving Orlando Pirates hell at Loftus Versfeld, seeking a winner after coming back from an early penalty to level the quarter-final at 1-1.

And then along comes Daine Klate to curl in a free kick which miraculously bounced through defenders and offenders alike to sneak in to the corner of the Sundowns net past the otherwise faultless Zambian goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene.

Yes, like a football in motion, like the spherical world we live in, the universal game had turned full circle. A week before, when Teko Modise’s curling, bouncing chip in to the box confounded Kaizer Chiefs and Itumeleng Khune, we were left to celebrate a glorious stroke of luck rather than a sensational winner.

It’s what happened after Klate’s goal that fascinates me.

The way I see it, Pitso came out and took it on the chin. Desperately seeking to become the first black South African to lift the PSL title out of Kaizer Chiefs’ jaws; what Mr Mosimane SHOULD have said was: “Well done Orlando Pirates, good luck in the semi-finals, we will concentrate on the league.”

What he actually said was: “Good game. I’m just disappointed because of the result, but not the game. The only substitutions I had to make were forced substitutions. The boys played well but this is football hey, you can't have it all hey?

“I'm not surprised their goalkeeper Senzo (Meyiwa) was the Man of the Match. That tells you the story of what happened here."

"I mean there is a player at Pirates, he is on the floor every minute, what is this? The next thing he shoots the ball and then it's a goal. Nah … let's have professionalism. We lost not because of that, but integrity is important, you know.

At this point Marawa prompted “Do you mean Daine Klate” but Pitso refused to name names. He added: "The foul for the free-kick, the man got injured and they called for a stretcher. The man is injured. He is the same man who is not injured who kicks the ball. I mean how many times is the player on the floor? Just watch him, just see. He gets so injured, it's unbelievable, but within a second, he plays.

"You know, other guys are playing very well, no doubt about it, a hard game, and they take it. Ha, but that player, he is too much on the floor. He must play football.

"But there is a player who is always on the floor, you touch him a little bit, he rolls like he's been shot, from the top. The next minute, he continues to play. No ... this is a man's game, let's all play. Look at Manyisa, look at Ntshumayelo, these boys are strong, they play, they are not on the floor every minute, every second .. what is this?"

Klate, never named by Mosimane, responded: “There’s no hard feelings. I’m not taking it personally. I know Pitso very well, I have a lot of respect for him, he was emotional. I focus on football, not what is said off it.”

  

Tears or fears: Mosimane

The social networks after the game were laughing over a picture which appeared to show Pitso with tears in his eyes. I came out stoutly in his defence, pointing out: “At least Pitso cares, at least he has passion.”

And there were the Orlando Pirates fans, after a hugely fortunate win, crowing over Mosimane’s discomfort. But here’s the question: Who would YOU rather have in charge: A failed Vladimir Vermezovic returning to South Africa and scrabbling for a work permit after failing with Kaizer Chiefs (where he left several people in tears), or a passionate Pitso Mosimane, achieving what even Dutch legend Johan Neeskens couldn’t manage at Chloorkop?

I know what my answer would be. I like Pitso. I admire his passion, the way he says it as he is. And if you need further evidence, just have a look at the PSL. Who’s top? Who’s SEVENTH? There’s the truth, right there.

The title remains in the balance. Tomorrow anything less than a win over Aces - with Chiefs by no means assured of picking up three points at Polokwane - will cut deep for Pitso again. Can he handle the pressure? With Steven Gerrard, Oscar Pistorius and Bubba Watson all reduced to tears over the past four days of sport, I believe he can.

BOLLOCKZ! my innovative football show on www.ballz.co.za airs every Thursday from 9am-11am. See Ballz' channel for our growing library of fascinating football interviews with the big names. 

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice.

Are we witnessing the rise and fall of the Kaizer Chiefs empire? Or is it just a lack of Knowledge?

Dogged approach: Baxter and Barker

The rise and fall of the Roman Empire swept away entire civilizations and plunged the world in to centuries of despair now known as the Dark Ages. There was a real fear generations of Knowledge would simply be forgotten.

Fortunately, not many of us were around to witness that, though I'm reliably informed the Italian defenders were put to the sword, boss "Screamer" Nero fiddled and his squad burned.

The estimated 15 million AmaKhosi in South Africa may have felt they were witnessing the fall of Kaizer Chiefs last night with the same feeling of shock and awe; the emperor Stuart Baxter stood powerless in the emptying Calabash while his champions simply fell apart against the invaders from the north, led by a tiny terror known as The Dog.


Quite how Mpumalanga Black Aces managed to sack the Chiefs empire I'm not sure. Supersub Miguel Timm's late winner was simply a ridiculous coup de grace on a night of abysmal failure.


While Itumeleng Khune celebrated his 200th game in goal sitting on a deckchair, his strike-force were simply absent. Kingston Nkatha, not the most popular of gladiators from our northern neighbors, was replaced by the former killer Katlego Mphela. He was rubbish. Matthew Rusike flattered to deceive, George Lebese didn't even flatter.


The big men who normally do manage to score simply couldn't. With Eric Mouth of the Lion Mathoho again mysteriously missing from the centre-back pairing, it was left to Morgan Gould and Tefu Mashamaite to fail from the usually reliable set-pieces though Simphiwe Shabalala's delivery remained impeccable.


And with an alaraming lack of Knowledge Musona, top scorer Bernard Parker - obviously suffering from that long-standing ankle injury - missed the chance of the night before returning to his cloak of invisibility.


Unbeaten at home since Baxter's arrival in 2012, Chiefs have now lost successive Soccer City encounters with equal levels of bemusement. As Baxter groaned last night: "At worst we should have drawn both these games 0-0, instead we have managed to lose them both."


The delightfully unlucky 1-0 defeat against  Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday was followed by the late sucker punch from Clive Barker's men and Itumeleng Khune was left with little to celebrate in his 200th game for Chiefs.


Barker? All smiles: "Wonderful, Marvellous." The little man even claims his Aces - who purchased a world record 35 players this season - could have been title contenders had they had a few more weeks of preparation. Remember Aces could have - should have - had a penalty too in the first half as Willard "Assault and Vinegar" Katsande clattered the dangerous Ndoro.


Down the road in Tshwane, it was so different. Pitso Mosimane, the all-conquering rival with Patrice Motsepe's billions behind him, led Mamelodi Sundowns to the top of the table with a streaky 1-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic.


Now three points clear of Kaizer Chiefs, who have a game in hand, Pitso is ready to sack Soweto. So too is Gavin Hunt after a sneaky late win over Platinum Stars from his Clever Boys. it's getting tight. Here's what Pitso said:

"Times are tough, you can see how strong Celtic are. In my opinion they played better than us. But at this point in time it is about getting results. It's not about playing pretty football.

"We must stay humble, there is a long way to go. We will see what we can do in the cup this weekend [against Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals]."

Chiefs too go to Nedbank Cup action - on Saturday against SuperSport United - and then we return to the PSL where Sundowns must face THE DOG on Wednesday while Chiefs go to Polokwane City. Wits are home to flightless Moroka Swallows.

Unlike the fall of the Roman Empire. This one's not over. Yet.

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