HANDS OFF TINKLER! Orlando Pirates produce a tactical master class in Egypt. And that's FINAL

The eternal caretaker: Eric Tinkler

RARELY has a successful continental campaign been so roundly condemned. Orlando Pirates astonishing trip to the CAF Confederations Cup final has confounded the Buccaneers’ one-eyed fans and stunned the media critics.

For months, the Ghost have haunted Eric Tinkler, the fall guy in a soap opera that has featured Roger de Sa and Vladimir Vermezovic over a torrid two year spell.

Ever since Irvin Khoza got rid of Ruud Krol just as he produced the first treble for Pirates, the Orlando giants have been weaving about all over the place.

Sure, Julio Leal and Augusto Palacios went on to claim a second treble (with a bit of help from one Benni McCarthy), then along came De Sa to engineer a run to the Champions League final which ended, as things normally do, in Egypt.

But Roger was never loved. He decamped to Cape Town and his assistant Tinkler played second fiddle to VV, the man who leaves players and fans in tears from Baragwanath to Belgrade.

When Khoza finally accepted the inevitable, Vlad the Sad was sent home and Tinkler took over as the eternal caretaker.

He pulled them out of the mire domestically and somehow managed to secure the Sea Robbers a place on the ship marked: Confederations Cup qualifiers.

And all winter, Tinkler has had to drag his weary men through the endless rounds of African football, with detoured flights and strange hotels, dusty training pitches and angry foreign crowds.

But against all the odds, Eric pushed in to the group stages and trailed Zamalek in to the semi-finals, a brand new innovation for the Confed Cup this season.

Now 45, Tinkler was a nuggety midfielder in the English top flight with Barnsley in his day. Unlike many South African coaches (and media analysts), he’s been there and played in Europe. While he struggled to produce results in the PSL, the African crusade went on…and on.

And so to the semi-final second leg at Suez on Sunday night. With Zamalek going out to Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel on Saturday, Al Ahly appeared to ignore the restrictions on the crowd and a lot more than the expected 2000 squeezed in to offer their support.

On the social networks, Tinkler was a dead man. A difficult first half had Pirates fans calling for his head. But hold on, said I, this is the plan. Even at 1-0 down, it was no disaster when half-time came.

I said he’d bring on Kermit Erasmus after 10mins and Tinkler did just that. Even though Al Ahly had scored a second goal, it didn’t matter. The crucial away goal on top of the 1-0 first leg win at Orlando meant that, when Erasmus scored his cracker not long after coming on, Pirates were in front.

And Al Ahly began to panic. They threw everything forward, trying to add to Malick Evouna’s brace. But it was Pirates who struck. Thami Gabuza’s deflected effort just about finished them off. Roving full-back Thabo Matlaba added a third.

And when Al Ahly scored their third, Thabo Rakhale, another shrewd Tinkler sub, popped up to make it 4-3 on the night, 5-3 on aggregate. Time up. 

When did ANY club score FOUR in Egypt? With Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs going out before the Group Stages in the African Champions League, this wasn’t just a tactical master-class from Tinkler, it was a BLOODY MIRACLE.

And suddenly the social networks were as quiet as Al Ahly’s “banned” fans. Sir Eric Tinkler, take a bow. The critics are well and truly confounded. Jaust glad I was never one of them!

Two good reasons to celebrate Orlando Pirates unexpected progress to the African Champions League final: two clubs, no lasers

Under the spotlight: Senzo Meyiwa is lit up by laser
beams wielded by unruly Al Ahly fans in Cairo

IT took one interview and a quick phone call to finally bring the footballing authorities to THIS startling revelation: Green laser beams are BAD for the African Champions League.

South African viewers on SABC and SuperSport were infuriated during Orlando Pirates 2-0 defeat against mighty Egyptians Al Ahly on Sunday night in Cairo with their players constantly picked out by the annoying green lights.

Annoying? According to the experts (including the Royal Institute for the Blind), the hand-held lasers – smaller than a torch, about the size of a pen – can DAMAGE the sight of footballers targeted by unruly fans.

I made my debut on South Africa’s 24-hour news channel ANN7 today (see video below) and chatted to Peter van Onselen on his brand new lunch-time news show Express Lunch, making the point that lasers are BANNED in European sports stadiums (and in the US and Australia, though apparently it’s still a problem in Latin America).

Following a spate of idiots shining lasers in the eyes of airline pilots at major airports, injudicious use of the “laser lights” – originally developed to assist army snipers and marketed as a tool for university lecturers to highlight salient points to students – now involves heavy fines and even jail sentences.

But despite the use of lasers in Pirates’ two group games in Egypt and in the semi-final against Esperance in Tunisia, CAF chose to erm… turn a blind eye.

It was only thanks to complaints from sports minister Fikile Mbalula and Buccaneers coach Roger de Sa that I was able to call new SAFA president Danny Jordaan after my ANN7 interview and ask: What will be done?

Danny told me: “Yes, we are aware of the problem and the outcry around the country about the lasers in Cairo. We are writing a letter of complaint to CAF and FIFA about their use.”

Like me, Jordaan is concerned that nobody was searched going in to the ground and the stewards did not act against the fans using the lasers at the jam-packed Arab Contractors Stadium. He said: "This is on the record, I'm happy for you to put this out. We had to act."

With any luck, Jordaan’s complaint – the 2010 World Cup organiser has real influence at CAF and FIFA – will enable Kaizer Chiefs to represent South Africa in the 2014 African Champions League without that particular problem.

But there are other reasons for South Africans to celebrate Orlando Pirates’ epic crusade through the continent over the past six months. Amid the debate between the AmaKhosi and the Ghost over just how much celebrating we should be doing around a final defeat, it’s worth noting that the FOUR points Pirates earned for losing in Cairo will earn an automatic second place in the Champions League in 2015.

And if Kaizer Chiefs (and Platinum Stars in the Confederations Cup) get to the group stages, South Africa are guaranteed a second major rise up the CAF club rankings in 2016 after a decade in the doldrums.

The current top twelve, in order and based on results over the past five years in both CAF competitions, looks like this: Tunisia, Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan, Morocco, DRC, Algeria, Mali, Congo, Angola, Cameroon, Ghana

But Pirates unexpected progress via the Comores, Zambia, DRC (though we never got to see it on the television), Congo, Tunisia and Egypt (thrice) means South Africa should move ahead of both Ghana (11 points) and Cameroon (12 points) next year.

For that reason alone, Roger de Sa and his Pirates deserve credit. But it won’t come easy. Given their current position in the PSL (they’re rock-bottom) and a seven-match streak in the Champions League which ended LLDDDDL, he’s already under pressure as the fireworks cool in Cairo.

But if the Buccaneers WIN all their six or seven games in hand, they can go five points clear of current leaders Mamelodi Sundowns. It's a big IF. But that might quiet the critics. Roger that.

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 9am. See the Ballz channel on www.YouTube.com for our growing collection of interviews with the big names in South African football.

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 and how we are doing in using @thumperpigeon's R5,000 to make money for the Ball's charity WINGZ OF CHANGE.

Mark Fish and Nic Ditshego: South Africa will come to a halt at 6pm tomorrow for Orlando Pirates WIN in Cairo

It's all in the bones: Lennox Bacela

TOMORROW at 6pm. Probably the most important 90 minutes in the post World Cup history of South African football. Orlando Pirates go to Al Ahly in Cairo nursing a last-gasp 1-1 draw in Soweto after the first leg of the CAF African Champions League.

With captain Happy Jele and the inspirational Andile Jali both suspended, I asked coach Roger Paulo Cesar De Sar if 37-year-old Lucky Lekgwathi and young midfielder Lehlogonolo "Vieira" Masalesa would start. SMSing from Cairo, "De Star" joked: "They have to, we can't start with nine players!"

That's how desperate it's become for the Buccaneers, who have somehow defied the odds (and Francophile CAF officialdom) to survive torrid journeys to the Comores, Zambia, DRC, Congo and Egypt (twice) to reach their final showdown.

The search for the second star is little different from the first one in 1995 though. On BOLLOCKZ! this week we spoke to living legend Mark Fish about the similarities 18 years on.

Fiiiiiiiish told us on www.ballz.co.za how, in 1995, he "finally learned that muti works" as the Pirates overcame ASEC Mimosas of the Ivory Coast in Abidjan after a 2-2 home draw.

He spoke of Jerry Sikhozana's 73rd minute winner and laughed: "Some people say I played the ball through to him... that's not quite true. It was a clearance, a HOOF! Then two of their defenders ran in to each other because they'd had so little to do. And that was it, Jerry finished, we held on, and we were CHAMPIONS OF AFRICA!

"It was unbelievable, and these Pirates tomorrow have the chance to do the same, to become legends of the game."

After Zwee Maphala's efforts as a Kaizer Chiefs fan last week, we then spoke to die-hard Pirates fan Nic Ditshego about the Pirates quest - and he left us in no doubt.


Nic said: "I've supported Orlando Pirates for as long as I can remember. Very tense moments last Saturday at Orlando Stadium, a lot of people had left when Matlaba scored his magnificent equaliser.

"I don't agree with the big send off, it reminds me of the Bafana parade in Sandton before 2010! But now they're in Cairo, with about 100 black-blooded supporters.

"I had a few Chiefs supporters along with me at Orlando. It's beautiful, we have probably the most unique band of fans anywhere in the world. We all get on.

"At six o'clock tomorrow, I'll be sitting in my full regalia - you know how that looks - shouting for my team. We need this. Let's forget about Manchester United and Arsenal for two hours, take a peek at the score, but everything else comes to a halt.

"We're going to see Lennox Bacela take that one goal, and that's it. That's how we do this!"


See his interview below:

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 9am. See the Ballz channel on www.YouTube.com for our growing collection of interviews with the big names in South African football.

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 inwww.thenewage.co.za.

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

Oh, and here's my chat with the brilliant Vieira Masalesa a few weeks ago:

African Champions League final: Pirates go to Cairo with a fighting chance thanks to a moment of Matlaba magic

Relief of Orlando: Thabo Matlaba celebrates
his late equaliser on Saturday night

THERE was only one place to be on Saturday night. Orlando. The Pirates. Our African Champions League finalists reaching for the stars, uniting the football-speaking nation.

Trains shooting past, blaring their hooters in support, motorways laced with the skull and crossbones, a packed house of 38,000, an army in black and white, interspersed with those in gold and black adding their voices to the national clamour for a second star.

The stage has rarely been better set, whether you prefer the ear-splitting choir of vuvuzelas or a rousing rendition of Shosoloza.

But much like their successful quest for continental domination in 1995, the home leg of the final was not quite what the nation had hoped for. A 1-1 draw in Soweto.

LEGEND: With 1995 final-winner Jerry Sikhosana
at Orlando Stadium on Saturday

When they drew the home leg of the final 2-2 against Ivory Coast’s ASEC Mimosas 13 years ago, coach Joe Frickleton was sacked before the second leg and few expected that dramatic away win, courtesy of Jerry Sikhosana’s unforgettable 73^rd minute strike.

But Thabo Matlaba’s stunning last-gasp equaliser on Saturday night offers, as I said to coach Roger de Sa immediately after it went in, “a fighting chance” for a side increasingly adept at grabbing draws from the jaws of defeat.

Ah, Drawlando. Their last six Champions League games go LLDDDD. Though the Buccaneers dominated possession – they enjoyed around 68% of the ball - and got plenty of crosses in to the box from Tlou Segolela and Daine Klate, I don’t remember an isolated and impotent Lennox Bacela winning anything in the danger area.

In midfield, the great Andile Jali looked a shadow of his former self, losing possession and growing ever more sluggish as the game against champions and seven-time champions Al Ahly of Egypt wore on. Egypt’s No1 goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy was really stretched only once, brilliantly denying Jali with a strong right hand at full-stretch.

In midfield, Oupa Manyisa pulled the strings and centre-backs Rooi Mahamutsa and Ayanda Gcaba took enormous risks in an effort to push forward after Mohamed Aboutrika’s free-kick had given the visitors a shock lead with a perfectly-placed free-kick from 25 metres.

To be frank, even the too-little-too-late arrival of experienced Zambian striker Collins Mbesuma looked unlikely to save the Pirates, who were lucky to escape a second Al Ahly goal, Ahmed El-Zaher’s effort unfairly ruled offside early in the second half.

Matlaba’s last-gasp effort was as unexpected as it was welcome. Mr De Star insisted afterwards: "We didn’t just sit back, we were offensive, we pushed midfielders in to the attack, we used real wingers, not wide midfielders.

“For the 90 minutes we kept on trying, we didn’t resort to long balls. We didn’t lose our heads. We were patient, we built it up.”

Ultimately, a 1-1 draw – their fourth successive stalemate in the African Champions League – was a highly fortunate result though the frustrated Pirates can rightly claim to have been the better side.

They go to Cairo with captain Happy Jele and midfielder Jali suspended - but the out-of-favour Lucky Lekgwathi and Vieira Masalesa offer obvious replacements.

De Star said: "We still have a fighting chance. There were plenty of coaches in the ground tonight, but I enjoyed it. We showed character, we can turn this around in Cairo next Sunday.

"I don't know if there's a limit to what this lot can achieve, but they just keep pushing. Look, it’s going to be very difficult there’s no doubt about it, but we’ll go there to win."

Truth is, they don’t need to. A 2-2 draw will earn a second star on away goals. 1-1 will force extra-time and penalties. 0-0 will see Al Ahly retain their African crown on that single free-kick, their only real shot on goal away from home.

But to end it as they did in Abidjan 13 years ago, with a win against all the odds, would be a perfect finish to an exhausting Mission Improbable. They have the talent. They have the squad. But do they have the experience against the gritty Egyptians in front of their first real home crowd in months?

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 9am. See the Ballz channel on www.YouTube.com for our growing collection of interviews with the big names in South African football.

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 inwww.thenewage.co.za.

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

BIGGER GAME NEXT WEEK: the ultimate Soweto Derby verdict from Orlando Pirates boss Roger de Star

The one that got away: Kingston Nkhatha

A single SMS from Orlando Pirates boss Roger de Sa says it all about Saturday’s controversial Soweto derby: “Like before. Bigger game next week.”

With Saturday night’s African Champions League final first leg looming, Kaizer Chiefs fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief. Kingston Nkhatha’s off-side equaliser  – clearly scored with a little help from linesman Enoch Molefe’s unflagging support – will not be the subject of intense scrutiny for the rest of the week.

Roger and his Buccaneers have bigger fish to fry.

The final against champions and seven-time African champions Al Ahly – this Saturday in Orlando and the next Saturday in Egypt – is all that matters to the Buccaneers.

Roger is far more interested in picking out the raft of veteran Ah Ahly players who have said they will retire after the showdown, and in the news that their goalkeeper Sherif Ekrami stands accused of “faking injury” during Egypt’s lamentable 6-1 World Cup qualifying defeat against Ghana a fortnight ago.

That’s why Roger didn’t even both getting involved in the off-side debate while twitter got itself in a twist of “Enoch, Enoch. Who’s There? Kingston Nkhatha” jokes on the internet and the role referee Victor Hlungwayo played in the PSL encounter.

It’s not like refereeing controversy is new to the Soweto Derby. This year alone, we have had Major’s off-side effort in the Carling Cup final and Morgan Gould’s penalised “push” in the MTN8 semi-final.

Instead, Roger chooses to highlight the positive, saying: "Hopefully we can do our nation proud on Saturday – I’m even hoping to see a lot of yellow jerseys at Orlando, supporting us!”

Getting the message: Roger's SMS on Saturday

With Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter, incredibly, admitting: “If either side had gone for broke, they would have claimed the points,” we had Roger accepting: “We’re happy enough with a draw. It was a fair result from where I was.

"Both teams had chances. They played their game on the counter and we played our passing game, sometimes not as fluidly as usual, but we had our moments.

"It's not a bad result for us, away from home. Maybe next time we will play with fresh legs.”

And really, that’s the point. Orlando Pirates completely outplayed the double-winning South African champions for the first 25 minutes, playing good football.

But those endless flights to the heart of Africa took their toll and by the end, Pirates were happy to accept the Nkhatha injustice and settle for a point which, deceptively, leaves them bottom of the PSL, level with Golden Arrows on four points.

Of course, if they win their five games in hand, they’d go four points clear of current leaders SuperSport United and Moroka Swallows, but that’s for later.

For now, this week, this day, this moment, Roger and his over-worked squad have only one thing in mind. And it’s this: “We haven’t got that star on our shirt yet. That is our priority. That has always been our main aim.”

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 9am. See the Ballz channel on www.YouTube.com for our growing collection of interviews with the big names in South African football.

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 inwww.thenewage.co.za.

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

FINAL ANALYIS Drawlando: when a criticism becomes a compliment and Roger reaches for De Star

BACK TO RED! Rooi Mahamutsa

SIX months can be a lifetime in football. In half a year, the beautiful game can evolve beyond recognition, particularly in the heart of a throbbing Soweto. The very meaning of words can change, villains are born as heroes fade, African giants are cut down and rendered pointless pygmies.

When champions Orlando Pirates stumbled over the line in third-place after a series of draws at the end of last season, they were gleefully derided as “Drawlando” largely by Kaizer Chiefs fans, relishing their refound double-winning dominance.

This season, after a series of quite miraculous ties, the word “Drawlando” has turned from criticism to compliment. The second-leg draw against Kaizer Chiefs which put the Buccaneers in to the MTN8 final, the desperate final point against Al Ahly which saw them in to the knock-out phase of the African Champions League… and on Saturday night, the epic 1-1 draw which put them past Esperance on away goals.

Incredible. Counting the first leg 0-0 stalemate against the fearsome Tunisians at the Drawlando Stadium and the drawn MTN final which they lost on penalties to Platinum Stars, Pirates have drawn FIVE of their last SEVEN fixtures.

But in that time, Rogério Paulo Cesar De Sá has become simply Roger de Star as the apparently hopeless crusade for a second African Champions League title grinds towards an epic home-and-away conclusion.

The bizarre retirement of Benni “Goalmachine” McCarthy has been forgotten in the wake of Lennox “Bracela” Bacela’s move from Bloemfontein Celtic, the inspirational skipper Lucky “Sinister” Lekgwathi has been supplanted in the space of 90 epic minutes by one Ayanda “Stand-in” Gcaba.

We should mention too, the rise of Senzo “Spotstopper” Meyiwa at No1 after years of Moeneeb “Slimkat” Josephs in a heartbreaking glove story and the rise and rise of Lehlogonolo “Vieira” Masalesa whenever a midfield reinforcement was required.

And most importantly of all, the injured Siya “Ironman” Sangweni finds himself edged out in the defend-and-score stakes by Rooi “Mooi” Mahamutsa, goal-scoring hero of Tunis.

From the bitter hangover of the double-treble slump at the end of last season, Orlando Pirates find themselves two steps (how we wish it was a single final at a neutral venue) from continental domination for the first time since the slowly dimming legends of 1995.

Everything has changed. Reputations, fortunes, buzz words, heroes; they’ve all altered radically in six turbulent months, a period during which, I believe, has been despite the club chairman, no because of.

What was it Roger de Star said before a crusade which has flitted from Comores to Angola and on to a blacked-out DRC, from Egypt twice to the Congo and Tunisia? “"We have been underdogs since the first game we played in this competition, and that is fine, we are good with that, no problem.”

Winning is for sissies. Missed chances are a mere detail only SABC football analysts harp on about. Don’t bet against another two draws to clinch the crown.

And so the the FINAL DETAILS: Pirates play Al Ahly, penalty shoot-out winners over Cameroon's Coton Sport, at Orlando on November 2 in the first leg. And the trophy will be decided in Egypt on November 9.

And if you doubt Pirates can do it against the seven-time winners and reigning champions, try this from Don Mattera, an extract from his poem compiled last year on the 75^th anniversary of Buccaneering football:

”THEY WILL SING OR THEY WILL SAY:

AH, BEHOLD THE MIGHTY BUCCANEERS

THEY CONQUERED ALL THEIR PEERS

AND SURPASSED THE GRUELLING TEST

AND WEAR THE MOST-COVETED PRIZE:

THE GOLDEN STAR OF MOTHER AFRICA”

Drawlando. Shout it: DRAWLANDO! You know it makes sense.

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 9am. Roger de Star and Alan Freese both lined up for this week. See the Ballz channel on www.YouTube.com for our growing collection of interviews with the big names in South African football.

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 inwww.thenewage.co.za.

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

Roger de Sa on Orlando Pirates going back to Rooi - and his appeal to the nation before Sunday's Champions League showdown

He could soldier on: Andile Jali

ORLANDO PIRATES coach Roger De Sa barely has time to catch breath this week as he heads from Wednsday night’s 1-0 win over Polokwane City to Sunday’s African Champions League showdown with Al Ahly.

And that is followed by the MTN semi-final second leg clash against arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs on Heritage Day Tuesday at Orlando. Three HUGE games in six days.

Undaunted, De Sa found time to talk to me on my Ballz radio football show BOLLOCKZ! on Thursday, explaining: “It was so important for us to get three points on the board against Polokwane City. We’ve only played two PSL games between all the African Champions League ties. It was important for us to stay in touch!

“Rooi Mahamutsa got a good goal for us and it was enough for a valuable win. Solo run, great low shot, happy for him.”

With Pirates having played only two PSL games, they could go top if they win their three games in hand on leading trio Moroka Swallows, Supersport United and Amazulu. But De Sa is already focused on the clash with African Champions League Group A leaders Al Ahly on Sunday.

De Sa says: “If I’d said to you six months ago we’d be playing the last game of the group stages to qualify for the semi-finals you would have laughed at me!

“We’ve done extremely well. We have to enjoy the moment, know what to expect. It’s going to be tough against Al Ahly. They’re a great team. The holders, African giants from Egypt.

“To be in the position we are is great for us. I certainly hope we can continue to fly the flag for South Africa. It’s been fantastic for the players and everyone at the club.”

FULL EXPLANATION OF HOW PIRATES QUALIFY HERE: http://www.neal-collins.blogspot.com/2013/09/neal-and-pray-why-pirates-must-win-on.html

Having beaten Al Ahly at the Al Gouna Stadium in the away fixture, Roger adds: “We’ve got to win. The only other option we have is a draw if Leopards lose.

“We’ve got to worry about our own game against a side who don’t really need a result to go through. If they needed a result it might be different.

“They play good football, but they let you play as well. We’re looking forward to it. We’ve got to rise to the occasion. We’ll have a go.

“There’s a little bit more in it. Al Ahly might be looking at finishing top of the group so they play Cameroon’s Coton Sport. If they come second, they play Tunisia’s Esperance. There are a lot of things that could come in to play.

“Right now, we need a win. We’ll take it from there.”

As for the Andile Jali injury situation, De Sa (see video below) confirms: “Andile Jali took a horrible fall against Polokwane, it felt like it dislocated and went back in. He’s in a bit of pain right now, the next 24 hours are crucial. He’ll have treatment.

“I think he’ll be all right and soldier on. I’m not 100 percent sure, but it looks that way."

Subsequent reports suggest Jali is out of Sunday's clash, a major blow for the Buccaneers. But De Sa SMSed me after those reports appeared, saying: "We'll only know tomorrow."

De Sa added: “Jali is a great player. His ability to recover the ball? He had the most number of steals in the PSL last season, more than twice anybody else in the country. He’s unbelievable. He steals the ball from the opposition, his decision-making is also great. Be nice to have him on Sunday!

“Thandani Ntshumayelo and Collin Mbesuma wore soccer boots or the first time this week, did some light work with the ball, lot more work in the gym but they’re not fully in to training against yet.

“I would say in a week or two, depending on their fitness, they might be available for selection. They are the only two problems, hopefully there will be no surprises at training waiting for me later when we do a bit of rehab.

“We’re looking at training in the afternoons to get us used to the afternoon kick-off on Sunday. We’re told it’s 2pm but I see SuperSport are advertising a 2.30pm start. Both AC Leopards at Zamalec and Al Ahly in Orlando are supposed to kick off at the same time.”

And with Sunday looming, Roger issued THIS PLEA to the Bucca Bucca fans and ALL South African football fans: “Everywhere we go, apart from Egypt where they have problems, we have huge crowds.

“At TP Mazembe it was incredible. There were 25,000 in the same jersey. We got blown out of the stadium until ten minutes from the end when they started applauding us.

“It’s unbelievable how they get behind their teams in Africa. On Sunday I’d like to see not just Pirates fans but all South African football supporters turn up to help us at the Orlando Stadium.

“We have to put up a performance to match the support. We’ve got to do the right thing, play football. The result will come.

“Wouldn’t it be great to have us AND Kaizer Chiefs playing in the Champions League next season?”

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. See the Ballz channel on Youtube for our growing collection of interviews

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal & 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!

Why Pirates MUST win on Sunday - the African Champions League Group A permutations are all here

Final fling: For Roger de Sa's Pirates

ORLANDO PIRATES looked so comfortable at the halfway stage in Group A of the African Champions League it appeared they couldn’t fail to reach the semi-finals, with real hopes of a second star growing.

It was an incredible start for Roger de Sa’s Buccaneers, having garnered SEVEN points in their first three games with a mediocre draw against Congo’s first-time champions AC Leopards in Orlando followed by two incredible wins against Egyptian giants Al Ahly 3-0 away and Zamalek 4-1 at home.

Sadly, things have gone badly wrong since those heady days. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat on a cabbage patch in Dolisie comes after the 1-2 Al-Gouna reverse against Al Ahly. And with one game to play - against African champions Al Ahly at Orlando on Sunday - they STILL have just those seven points.

De Sa, with distant memories of those early qualifying wins over Zanaco and TP Mazembe now fading, remains defiant: “Look, we finish against Al Ahly on Sunday on a proper pitch, where we will get to play some football. And the message is: All is not lost. We are still in this.

“It was always going to be tough – the conditions weren’t good. You saw the pitch and what you see on TV is far from what we actually experience.

“We’re disappointed to lose but it was very trying. We attempted to string some passes together on a very bumpy pitch but it wasn’t easy, the plan had to be changed. We had to adapt as best we could. My boys did their best - you can’t fault them for effort.”

And with Sunday’s Egyptian derby producing a 4-2 defeat for reigning African champions Al Ahly over Zamalek behind closed doors, the permutations in Group A appear incredibly complicated with Pirates and Leopards both on seven points, three behind the Al Ahly.

But the simple truth is this: Pirates MUST win against Al Ahly on Sunday to qualify for the semi-finals. That guarantees a place in the last four, no matter what Leopards do against the now hopeless Zamalek in Egypt (the games are supposed to kick off simultaneously).

Similarly, a defeat against Al Ahly in Orlando puts Pirates OUT, even if Leopards LOSE at Zamalek – because the Congolese have a better head-to-head record against the Sea Robbers, having drawn with them away and beaten them at home.

The most complicated scenario for Pirates involves a draw. That will also put them out – unless Leopards lose their final match. A win puts the Congo champions through on points in second place, a draw puts them through on head-to-head against Pirates.

The background to all this is complicated, because the CAF Champions League uses a head-to-head system ahead of goal difference as their primary discriminator.

For instance, the Pirates win scenario could leave THREE sides tied on ten points if Leopards win too. But because Leopards are better than Pirates on head-to-head and Al Ahly have the advantage over Leopards but not Pirates, the top three would then form a mini-league with Roger’s men on top with seven points. Al Ahly would have 6, Leopards 4 with results against Zamalek ignored.

A three-team mini-league would also put Pirates out if they lose and Zamalec win, allowing AC Leopards to qualify.

If Pirates top the group with a final win, they will play Cameroon’s Coton Sport, who finished second in Group B after a 0-0 draw at Sewe San Pedro in the Ivory Coast. Tunisia’s Esperance, ACL finalists last year, top the group after beating Angola’s Recreativo Libolo – who put Pirates out last year - 3-2.

Group A

TEAMS	P	W	D	L	F	A	PTS
AL AHLY (EGYPT, holders)	5	3	1	1	8	7	10
ORLANDO PIRATES (SOUTH AFRICA)	5	2	1	2	8	4	7
AC LEOPARDS (CONGO)	5	2	1	2	3	3	7
ZAMALEK (EGYPT)	5	1	1	3	6	11	4

Group B

TEAMS	P	W	D	L	F	A	PTS
ESPERANCE (Tunisia)	5	4	0	1	7	3	12
COTON SPORT DE GAROUA (Cameroon)	5	2	2	1	4	4	8
SEWE SPORT (IVORY COAST)	5	1	1	3	3	4	4
RECREATIVO LIBOLO (ANGOLA)	5	1	1	3	6	9	4

I have asked Roger de Sa if he will appear on BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za this week, it airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. 

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal & 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!