Guest writer Thilixxo on how Kaizer Chiefs will defend their title... and why Jomo Sono must step down

BE MY GUEST: Thilixxo

ABOUT MY FIRST GUEST WRITER:

Thilivhali Daniel Nekokwane Nemulalate calls himself "@thilixxo" on Twitter. I've been putting my stories here since before the 2010 World Cup; nearly 1m people have clicked on this site. So I thought somebody else should have a go - somebody with quite a story to tell,  and who loves football as I do.


Thilivhali was born in 1974 September 26, in Venda, Limpopo. He studied and completed his matric there and moved permanently to Johannesburg in 1992. He says: "I did my tertiary studies in Technikon SA. I am a football fanatic and die-hard Kaizer Chiefs fan since 1981. I engage in lot of football discussion but never wrote a published article.

"My facebook page is Reverend T D Nemulalate and I discuss no soccer in it. I am a Pastor. I am in a relationship and have 3 children. I never played professional soccer, though I was very much involved in rural soccer development when still residing in Venda."



I know there are lot of hot topics football fans, especially SA Football followers, would love to engage in. Showboating, the "Pitso Mosimane and Shakes Mashaba spy saga", whether Dean Furman failed overseas, Tefu Mashamaite’s big salary cut, season tickets, empty stadiums and many more are dominating the headlines at the moment.

Such issues have clouded our most interesting start of the season discussion: WHO WILL WIN THE LEAGUE?

There are other competitions like TKO, Nedbank Cup and MTN8. But we all know the big one is the PSL. A coach will be forgiven for not winning any of the cup competition, but will be fired and criticized for not doing well in the PSL.


If you ask Jomo Sono right now what his goal for this season is, he will tell you it is to remain in PSL. Now the big questions are WHO WILL WIN PSL and WHO WILL BE RELEGATED?

My predictions have nothing to do with which team I am a supporter of. And it is my opinion and everyone has his or her opinion. You are welcome to discuss my predictions. \

TITLE CONTENDERS 

Bidvest Wits: If there is one thing that Gavin Hunt has mastered over the years, it is how to win the league. Gavin has a system and he sticks to it. He never plays to please the eyes of the supporters. His teams are direct and stick to basics.

I have also noticed that he is able to get players to play for him, making him a very good motivator. And at Wits he has now built a very balanced team strong at the back and midfield.

The strike force is a suspect but I have realized that he will be asking his midfielders to quickly get into the box to feed off the big Namibian, Henrico Botes. This is one team that will win lot of games by 1-0. And Botes will get a goal here and there.


Supersport United FC: favorites to win the league according to most soccer pundits, and the recent capture of Bafana Bafana's Dean Furman has just fuelled those predictions.

SSU will also be helped by the fact that they have managed to keep the majority of the players from last season.

Beside Furman, they have brought back Bongani Khumalo from England; they also have signed players from Oceania who have already impressed. Jeremy Brockie from New Zealand will certainly continue banging in the goals. It will take time for the defense to gel but with keeper.

Ronwen Williams they have someone who will bail them now and then when they are gelling. Most importantly, in Gordon Igesund they have a coach who has won most league title in SA with different teams. He certainly knows how to win the league. They will have to deal with inconsistencies of last season under GI though if they want to be counted up there end of season.


Mamelodi Sundowns: surprised us all by not going into the market the way we are used to this season. It is clear they have realized that chopping and changing has been their biggest downfall.

I doubt Sundowns have kept one coach for 3 seasons in the last 10 seasons, I stand to be corrected. That shows the change in attitude in the management. Chiefs secret last 3 seasons was to stick to the same team and I think Sundowns has adopted the same attitude.

The only challenge they face is to find the replacement of Alje Schut as he offered more than just defending. Sundowns has the strongest strike force in Mashed, Malajila, Laffor and their midfield of Modise and Kekana gets goals now and then.

Their only downfall this season will be the news starting to come out about the boardroom and training ground disunity.


Kaizer Chiefs: The major change at Naturena is surely the appointment of Steve Komphela to replace Stuart Baxter as head coach. The departure of Tefu Mashamaite, who formed a formidable partnership with Eric Mathoho, will also be felt.

I believe the technical team has already noticed and are dealing with it. I believe Chiefs still need to sign another midfielder who can score goals, May Mahlangu in particular, then they can/will win the league. From what I have seen in last two games, the playing style hasn’t changed much. Playing personnel has enough experience to win the league, they have been there before. Once Chiefs start to put away those many chances they create, they will be unstoppable.


HOW THEY WILL FINISH:
Winner Kaizer Chiefs 
Runners up Bidvest Wits 
Third Supersport United 
Fourth Mamelodi Sundowns 



TOP EIGHT
I predict Orlando Pirates, MP Black Aces, Ajax Cape Town and Platinum Stars will complete the top 8 in no particular order. Pirates are still involved in the CAF Confederation Cup and it is negatively impacting on their domestic form.

They did not rest over the PSL break and fatigue can be seen in players. They have been hit by injuries lately, which could be the results of fatigue. They are also very inconsistent under Eric Tinkler. I tweeted sometime that Tinkler is in fact a better coach than I rated him, but he is not one to win big things yet. I think they will blow hot and cold the whole season.

When I think of Ajax Cape Town, I think of Arthur Zwane’s words, “Kids don’t win the league”. Again, for some reason, teams under Rodger De Sa do very well in first half the season and very bad after Christmas break. Only God Knows why.

One can only pray that Mpumalanga Black Aces coach Muhsin Ertugral will not decide to leave for family reasons or a better coaching job somewhere. Ertugral talks a lot about attacking like Africans and defending like Europeans.

From that you can already see lot of draws for Mpumalanga Black Aces. One thing you can almost guarantee for Aces is a final in one competition or even Gold in one. Ertugral does very well in that department.

Cavin Johnson has returned to Platinum Stars and will have to deal with the loss of players like Ngele and Mashabela who formed a backbone of the Dikwena he coached to 2nd position 3 seasons ago. Surely they will be very interesting to watch as Zongo and Makudubela are stylish players. But to do as well as a season before, they will have to sign proven goal poacher.


MID TABLE 
I predict Bloemfontein Celtic, Golden Arrows, Free State Stars and Polokwane City will complete that department in that particular order.

Yes, Celtic has started the season very well considering their MTN8 exploits. But as usual they will fade when the going gets tough. I see a lot of draws for them as Larsen is defensive coach.

Golden Arrows will play for survival and Serame Letsoaka still have to prove himself as a head coach. Having worked with GI, I think he has learned enough to do well and Ramagalela will prove to be a good buy.

Free State Stars are also coached by defensive minded coach and with a striker like Sekola still there, I see a lot of goal draws.

I still don’t understand why Polokwane City kept Kostadin Papic as coach. The man doesn’t know the word defence. Like P Stars, they will be very watchable. Expect lot of goals whenever they are in action. Draws and losses are orders of the day whenever PLK City is in town.

RELEGATION CANDIDATES 
Maritzburg United: They had a fairytale season last season, having qualified for top 8 for the first time in their history under Steve Komphela, who has since been snatched by Kaizer Chiefs. Mandla Ncikazi, new coach, will find the going very tough. The fact that they managed to keep most players and have good ones like Kurt Leintjies will help them survive the chop, even though they will be battling down there throughout.

Pretoria University: Having lost their first league game against returnees Arrows, it already looks like it will be a difficult journey for Amatuks. They have lost one of last season star players in Massa. There were rumors of selling their PSL status as the team is reported to be struggling with big salaries. The university management is worried that some players, who are students, earn bigger than university management and professors. It seems it is getting very expensive to run the team without a big sponsor.

Chippa United: don’t be fooled by their super performance against Kaizer Chiefs. Who don’t play well against Chiefs? And you don’t have to look further than their performance against Orlando Pirates. Where was that fighting spirit? Two loses and Chippa Mpengesi gets his gun polished, and that will be story of the season. Roger said they will not be push overs this time, well we have heard that before.

Jomo Cosmos: “We are back for good this time, we are” says Jomo Sono. Isn’t that what Jomo says every time Cosmos gets promoted? God Knows how many times. The squad has talent but it is clear Jomo has lost touch and his coaching tactics needs renewal. All local coaches in PSL understand modern football but not Jomo.

He is still somewhere in 1999. Cosmos once won only two games in whole season. I will not be surprised if it happens again this time around. Solution would be to get a coach and stepping aside by Bra J.

Orlando Pirates produce the BIG result of the weekend. And they weren't even playing in the PSL.

Chipper at Chippa: former Chiefs keeper Dalyan Hawes

ONE point for Kaizer Chiefs on the opening weekend? Well it's better than Arsenal!

South Africa's the reigning champions went on a long winning run to start last season under Stuart Baxter but there is no reason to panic just yet.

Perhaps the most impressive facet of Chiefs opening clash in front of 35,000 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was the deadpan reaction from new coach Steve Komphela, the man who talks the talk.

Encouraged to pontificate about a wonderful game packed with erm... flowing football, Komphela immediately put his first League match in perspective: “A great game? That’s not what I saw. I’ll have to have another look at it!

“We got a point. Should I be happy with that? I’m happy with the defence but we didn’t score a goal. And we should have. Kaizer Chiefs need to be consistent.”

Komphela is right of course. In England, champions Chelsea also got off to a one-point start against lowly Swansea, a very similar result to Chiefs given the reputation of the clubs involved.

But in front of a huge crowd, the side that took a record 69 points winning the PSL title last season never really looked like winning.

Komphela has the same problem Baxter had last season: he doesn’t have a decent striker. David Zulu was largely anonymous again, Bernard Parker simply refuses to attack the ball in the box, there's no sign of a great goal-getter on the horizon: the goals are going to have to come from the midfield.

Typically Siphiwe Tshabalala came closest, rattling Dalyan Hawes’ cross-bar. But at the other end, the returning Itumeleng Khune was the busier of the two goalkeepers, keeping on effort out with a hastily out-stretched leg.

Hawes, a former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper who played college soccer in the USA, was impressive but didn’t need a miracle to keep Chiefs at bay. He did, however, have a strong debut and I suspect the 23-year-old's "short term contract" will be extended, which is rare from Mr Mpengesi.

Truth is, despite the SuperSport hype, it wasn’t a great game. It was nice to see the PSL put out a crowd figure for once (they only do it for big crowds, two or three times a season), but in truth, most will have left disappointed. There’s a long season ahead but the early red card for Chiefs - coming after their off-side goal against Maritzburg United in the MTN8 - will have the cynics whispering.

Too many decisions got the way of the big clubs in South Africa, too many referees are eager to please the mega-rich dictators of our game. It has to be examined. But it won't be. Any more than our attendance figures, transfer dealings or international selections.

But why focus on the grim? In truth, as I write, the best performance of the weekend didn’t come from the PSL in the opening weekend at all.

It came from Chiefs’ Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates against CS Sfaxien. Their 2-0 win, with goals from Menzi Masuku and Thabo Rahkale, was great to watch. The Tunisians lost it when Sifiso Myeni began showboating in front of the Orlando fans, a moment to savour.

How long have we waited to see a bit of Khasi Magic disrupt our northern cousins? They hated it. It's what we should be doing.

It was South Africa football at it’s best, and a result which just about guarantees the Buccaneers a place in the CAF Confederations Cup semi-finals with Egypt’s Zamalek. Nine points from four games represents top stuff from Eric Tinkler, the coach who still doesn’t have a contract.

Tinkler was typically down-beat after the game, as he juggles his squad to keep them fresh after an off-season of long trips around the continent. But the bottom line: "I'm proud of my players. They've been through a lot."

Both the PSL and the British Premier League are barely out of the blocks yet. Chelsea and Chiefs will have better days. So will Arsenal and Mamelodi Sundowns. But we can say this with some confidence: Orlando Pirates are doing the nation proud.

South African boxing: why tiny Thabo has to go to work after his fight tomorrow night

Poster boys: Moabi and Kriel

THABO MOABI faces six rugged rounds against South Africa's new Junior Flyweight sensation Dee Jay Kriel at Emperor's Palace tomorrow night.

After their Young Guns encounter I'll be rushing Thabo straight from the sold-out venue - assuming he's in one piece - to do the night shift as a merchandiser, packing shelves in the Colonnade shopping centre in Pretoria North.


Thabo is 24, born in Mamelodi East, with fast hands, a quick brain and perhaps the most ferocious stare I have seen in 35 years of post weigh-in hype.


Moabi knows he's supposed to lose tomorrow night, live on SuperSport (DSTV 207) at around 8.30pm. His predicted demise will also be seen in New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada and Europe before the SABC show the ninth fight of his professional career "delayed live" on Friday night.


Kriel, signed up by promoter Rodney Berman's Golden Gloves and destined for greater things at the age of 20, has a record of 5-0. Defeat is not an option. Moabi, with eight professional fights, four losses and a draw, knows the odds are stacked against him but insists: "I've been in this position before. I know what to expect. He'll come at me, the crowd will be on his side. But I can jab, I'm tough. I can think on my feet."

The stare: Thabo and Dee Jay at the weight-in

Unlike most young pugilists, Moabi sees beyond the ring, to a degree in criminology and eventually an LLB.  He's not one of those grunt and groan boxers, despite the stare and a physique devoid of any spare weight.


"I can do this, I know Kriel has all the backing... but I'm going to surprise him. I've always been the guy everybody wants to fight because I'm not the biggest. But nobody wants to go in with me again after the first time."


Moabi's trainer, Jan Mathole, runs a gym from an open scrap of land between a school and a church on the dusty streets of Mamelodi. He's been looking after Thabo for 12 years and has a range of hardy battlers from the streets of Mamelodi under his wing.


But he has no gym. In a country awash with over-priced football stadia and expensive fitness centres, Mathole has been fighting a decade-long battle with the local council over his dream of building a boxing facility Mamelodi can be proud of.



"All over the world, there are boxing gyms in areas like the one where we live," says Mathole, "I have the equipment thanks to my employers (Jan works as a clerk at law firm Spoor & Fisher during the day) but every night we have to store it, we have no building.


"I get dozens of young fighters who want to train with me every day, at the weekends we are swamped by boys from this high (Jan holds his hand to his knee) to their 20s. But how am I supposed to train these boys without a gym?"


Tomorrow night, I'll be in Thabo's corner for his Junior Flyweight battle. Jan didn't have anybody else to help. The big-name fighters - Kevin Lerena of Oscar Pistorius trial fame and Deon Coetzee, the old heavyweight Gerrie's cousin - have teams of rugged gentlemen in attendance.

Ready to rumble: Thabo Moabi makes the weight

They work out of well-equipped gyms and parade around in clothes with their names on, cameras clicking as they work the weigh-in room at the Emperor's Palace convention centre.


South Africa boxing is at is ever was. A battle of haves versus have-nots. I don't know if tiny Thabo - at 1.55m the same height as Lionel Messi - can beat Dee Jay tomorrow night, but it would be nice if he didn't have to go straight to work afterwards, if he had an actual gym to train in.


If there are any corporates or multi-millionaires out there who believe that Mamelodi deserves a well-appointed gym to pull young boxers off the streets, please contact me on nealcollins@hotmail.com.


Otherwise, sit back and hope boxing will survive on hype and bluster, like our sports minister seems to believe. Floyd Mayweather has come and gone. The money never made it.

THE BUBBLE BURST: Where it all went wrong for Itumeleng Khune and the Kaizer Chiefs rebel trio

Playing for keeps: Sunday World back page

SO Tuesday is D-Day. The final bloody assault in a two-month campaign to bridge the gap between Itumeleng Khune and Kaizer Chiefs.

We have had weeks of one-sided artillery from AmaKhosi "football manager" Bobby Motaung against Khune, Mandla Masango and Tefu Mashamaite since the infamous press conference when the rebel trio were told to leave on June 2.

In a series of convenient leaks to the Sunday papers, Bobby told us how the three were demanding ridiculous amounts to sign new contracts while simultaneously forcing out his title-winning coach Stuart Baxter.

I have consistently stuck with the players in this debate. I believe the figures quoted in the papers were distorted, that Khune was NOT the highest paid player in the PSL and that both Masango and Mashamaite were asking for reasonable increases given the circumstances.

My argument: that Kaizer Chiefs have won R54m in prize money over the past three seasons (more than covering the cost of three new contracts) and that they bring in millions more from sponsors Vodacom, Carling and Hollard. Bobby knew he could afford the pay rises but steadfastly refused to offer his title-winning stalwarts an extra penny.

Remember, these are not just journeymen hoping for a contract. Masango was Kaizer Chiefs top scorer last season, his seven goals amounting to more than any of the many AmaKhosi strikers in a record-breaking season which saw Stuart Baxter’s men win the PSL with a record 69 points.

Khune, though hampered by injury and club politics last term, remains South Africa’s No1 goalkeeper and captained South Africa in their last two outings against Mauritius.

Yet here they are, cap in hand, begging for a return to the club that discarded them within days of the title celebrations last season.

And standing in the shadows as they approach Bobby Motaung and his admin manager Abdullah Mayet today is Tefu Mashamaite, the man who won every award on offer last season for his stirring exploits at centre-back for Baxter’s miserly Chiefs. 

On May 20, Mashamaite added the Chiefs player of the season award to his PSL silverware. Within a week he was told he would not be getting the new contract he felt he deserved.

The big mistake? All three "rebels" believed the South African soccer market was as it has always been all over the world: eager to pay stars millions while under-paying the up-and-coming hopefuls.

Khune’s agent Dan Lichman, who has now parted company with British agency Triple S, set the trend. He assumed, from 5000 miles away, that Khune could cash in on his reputation and pick up a handy pay-rise after the title triumph. When you look at the ridiculous contracts and transfer fees paid in Europe, it was an understandable error. But unforgivable.

Sadly, with Mamelodi Sundowns now more cautious about splashing owner Patrice Motsepe’s millions, the Chiefs trio miscalculated. Masandawana would no longer come to the rescue in the event of an impasse. And other sponsor-rich clubs like SuperSport United and Bidvest Wits, would not have to challenge Pitso Mosimane's eagle eye.

Bobby Motaung, with his finger on the footballing pulse, knew exactly how the land lay. The bubble had burst. The man who might have objected had gone to Turkey. Bobby knew Baxter would not stay if he wasn’t allowed a say in rejuvenating the squad after two championships in three seasons. Khune, Masango and Mashamaite were defenceless. His play-things.

Right from the start, I spent hours on the phone with a distraught Khune. When newspapers began trumpeting his outrageous demands, Itumeleng denied he wanted something close to R8m a year with some gusto. Even this week, there was talk of R7.8m a year. Khune insists that is way higher than anything he demanded. Even Benni McCarthy and Knowledge Musona only commanded R6m.

Khune told me of dressing room arguments after a rare defeat, the disappearance of the R10000 Chiefs win bonus last Christmas and how he was mysteriously dropped from the team time and again as his contract negotiations loomed.

I cannot disclose everything he told me, especially if a reconciliation with Chiefs remains on the cards, but it was blood-curdling stuff. Footballers have a short career. But in South Africa, where some PSL players earn R5000 a month, even the big names find themselves struggling with debt and broken promises.

What I can say is this. Life at Chiefs was not all plain sailing last year. “The technical team would find any reason to leave me out of the team because my contract was coming to an end,” Khune told me, “I didn’t want to double my money to stay, I just wanted more from my personal endorsements and a pay rise.”

But the battle had already been lost. Bobby knew he didn’t need to keep up with a booming market to force Khune and his colleagues on to the contractual canvas. With Sundowns refusing to splash big cash, the rebel trio had no choice. A possible move to Orlando Pirates was vetoed, the Chippa United offer was a joke, Lichman could find no overseas club to step in other than the usual whispers from Belgium.

Mashamaite tried and failed at New York City. Masango got caught in the Mpumalanga Black Aces “franchise sale” saga. Khune trained alone after leaving the Bafana camp. The AmaKhosi turned against their heroes in a matter of weeks. They were taken in by a second press conference which targeted a host of journeymen masquerading as exciting new signings.

The rebel trio remained out in the cold. Repeated attempts to re-negotiate were denied. First Bobby said he was going on holiday. He said there was nothing more to discuss. Then, just last week, Motaung suggested dismissively: “Itu and Mandla must go to church for perspective. They are trying to play hardball. This club has been there for them for years. We don't need them.”

I pointed out several times on twitter how much Bobby was enjoying the discomfort. Just as he had when he ousted Jimmy Tau, a big character who threatened his hegemony.

When Ugandan Sula Matovu was signed this month on a "free transfer" which cost R3m in signing on fees and agent kick-backs, the AmaKhosi fans refused to make the connection between an honest request for a better contract and what is really happening at their club. Bobby, who boasts about not needing a CV and having serious charges against him mysteriously dropped in Mpumalanga, just laughs and carries on.

Finally, last Friday, Khune turned up without an agent. According to Chiefs sources “he poured his heart out to Bobby” while Masango arrived with his lawyer for a similarly humbling chat.

The upshot? Bobby says: “A meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday (today) to give them a proper hearing. ”

But with the new season looming, Khune, Masango and Mashamaite are getting desperate. There are lifestyles to maintain, debts to service. But in the Sunday Times, Sports Editor BBK quotes Bobby saying: "It is going to be a bit of a process. There is no pressure on our side. It is not cast in stone these talks will result in reconciliation."

Motaung talks of "respect and protocol" and says he must ensure t"he situation does not occur again with any other player". Effectively, he's saying nobody should ask for a pay rise. Nobody should dare to challenge his right to a lavish lifestyle while his players sweat blood on the field.

Sadly, Bobby's won. Khune and Masango - perhaps even Mashamaite too - will have to accept a pay cut to continue playing for the AmaKhosi. We'll see how Chiefs do on the field next season. But from where I'm sitting, football is the loser.

A BAD WEEK FOR SOUTH AFRICAN SPORT: honest opinion or reason to flee the country?

TOUGH START: Pirates new keeper Felipe Ovono

I feel like a traitor. Just called my British-born son. Asked him if I’m being fair. But some things HAVE to be said after a week of sporting headlines which make tough reading for South Africans.

Given that our sporting staples  consist largely of a patriotic diet of football, rugby and cricket, perhaps it’s time to think more broadly before somebody accuses me of ignoring England’s current plight at Lord’s.

We shouldn’t ignore the positives: a South African team surviving the rigours of the Tour de France on debut, a couple of better athletics performances on the Golden League track, the Davis Cup win against Ireland at Irene and the number of millionaires with Seffeffriken accents doing well in The Open at St Andrews.

But in the back of my mind there’s a little voice shouting: aaaaaargh. Which brings me back to a sporting week which has been little short of embarrassing for South African sport.

Look, when Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs announced they were both off to Swaziland for a pre-season tournament, it sounded quite exciting despite those asking economic and political questions. The chances of a quick Soweto Derby do decide the Kings Cup before the Carling Black Label Cup gimmick was welcomed by many, even on the artificial surface at the Somhlolo Stadium.

When the mighty AmaKhosi were stuck at 0-0 against Mbabane’s Swallows at half-time, the first doubts began to stir. I tweeted about the possibility of our Soweto giants both failing against Swaziland’s semi-professional hopefuls.

To be honest, the idea of both Chiefs and Pirates failing on penalties, even on a plastic pitch in a minor warm-up in the nation ranked 160 in the world, never really impinged on my thinking. But it happened.

The Buccaneers threw away a 1-0 lead, their new Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Felipe Ovono was beaten and they joined Chiefs as penalty shoot-out failures, leaving us with Swallows against Royal Leopards in the final. As worrying as anything that happened on the pitch was the South African commentators ignoring the plight of our Soweto giants as a third game in three went to penalties and the Swallows took the silverware.

Of course, it’s not a disaster. Just a pre-season blip. Steve Komphela is no mug. Eric Tinkler has proven his bouncebackability time and again.

But while all this was happening, our mighty Springboks hit a speed bump too, losing their opening Rugby Championship clash against Australia in Brisbane 24-20, throwing away a substantial lead with the World Cup looming and Victor Matfield limping.

And then of course, we have to consider those crushing defeats against Bangladesh last week, which saw the Proteas, after their comfortable T20 success, lose the ODI series in a pair of record-breakingly bad performances which resulted in defeats by 7 wickets and 9 wickets.

Heyneke Meyer, Russell Domingo and Shakes Mashaba are the big national bosses in the big national sports. They all seem to prefer picking old reliables than bright young things, though Kagiso Rabada was a shaft of cricketing sunlight in the ODI disaster. None of them are expensive, imported coaches. All three were cost-effective options after the sudden departure of their predecessors.

But let's be frank: none of them inspire great confidence.

And obviously the chances of all three of our big national teams recovering are good. The Proteas begin their Test series against Bangladesh today, the Springboks could come back and thump the All Blacks and Bafana could yet recover from their opening 0-0 draw against Gambia and qualify for AFCON 2017 with good results against Mauritania and Cameroon.

But Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula is uncharacteristically quiet. One of his most verbal critics, a former CNN sports anchor I’ve know for years, Graeme Joffe, claims he had to leave the country after exposing corruption in numerous South Africa sporting bodies.

He says his life is in danger and has exiled himself in New York. That can’t be right. Sport is all about opinions, and when things go badly on the field of play, criticism is a MUST.

We cannot simply ignore results and trends when things go badly. It’s been a very bad week for South African sport. Let’s just be honest about it. And try to make things better.

Relegated AmaZulu cough up R82m to replace Aces in the PSL: another nail in the coffin of South African football

USUTHU! anxious AmaZulu fans

DESPICABLE. DISGRACEFUL. DISASTROUS. Those are the words that come to mind as we sit here tonight, contemplating a footballing world where a relegated club can simply buy their way back in to the top flight after finishing bottom of the table.

The irony for me, of course, is that it's my favourite PSL club AmaZulu who are attempting to burgle their way back in to South Africa's crumbling PSL via the back door, using cash and an utter disregard for what FIFA calls "sporting integrity".

AmaZulu are not one of those recently formed infant clubs like Choppa, sorry Chippa, United, who sack coaches and move cities at the drop of a hat.

The jolly green giants of KwaZulu Natal captured my support when I worked and played in Durban in the early 1980s. The warcry "USUTHU" combined with the glamour of players like Joel Faya and Henry "Shaka Zulu" Cele persuaded me to write to their kit manafacturers to procure the last available xxxl replica shirt just last year.

Article 30 of the NSL constitution clearly states promotion

CANNOT be bought (from @TiisetsoMalepa)

But what they are doing is simply WRONG. To pay Mpumalanga Black Aces R82m (amounts vary) to take their place in the PSL as well as five or six of their players CANNOT BE RIGHT for South African football.

They did it once before of course. In 2007, they bought Dynamos' PSL place after relegation, and in those grim days such ridiculous shenanigans appeared acceptable practice.

But then came the FIFA circular number 1132 from Jerome Valcke, dated December 2007. Under the heading SPORTING INTEGRITY, PRINCIPLES OF PROMOTION AND RELEGATION, the despicable loophole was firmly closed.

Quoting article 2 (e) of the FIFA statutes, Valcke re-iterated the view that promotion and relegation were sacrosanct, that the global association exists to "prevent all methods or practices which might jeopardise the integrity of matches or competitions, or give rise to the abuse of association football."

In Spain, weeks before, Granada had purchased another club's name and identity in order to secure promotion, a move of such sporting injustice that FIFA felt they had to act,

The most important part of the new regulations? "A club's entitlement to take part in a domestic league championship shall depend principally on sporting merit".

It goes on to insist ONLY promotion and relegation ON THE FIELD OF PLAY would be acceptable.

The full link to that FIFA document, signed by the now-embattled Jerome Valcke, can be found HERE http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/administration/circular_1132_en_34078.pdf

But of course, Irvin Khoza has been in charge of our PSL since the early 1990s. Quite how that happened, or how he came to be owner and chairman of Orlando Pirates remains shrouded in mystery. And boy, are we paying for it.

When AmaZulu went down in 16th and last place at the end of last season claiming Free State Stars had "fixed" their salvation, Khoza said nothing. His CEO Brand de Villiers muttered something about an "ongoing investigation" in to Free State Stars' remarkable escape from the lower reaches of the PSL. We've heard nothing since.

Then, when AmaZulu (and relegated bed-fellows Moroka Swallows) were charging about trying to persuade Bloemfontein Celtic, Polokwane City, Platinum Stars and Chippa United to sell their PSL status, Khoza said NOTHING. Neither did sports minister Fikile Mbalula, always so loud and pointless on other sporting subjects, nor Danny Jordaan, the president of the South African Football Association, now unelected mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay.

Throughout the build-up to this craziness, South African football failed to show leadership. Already in trouble over pre-World Cup match-fixing and the infamous $10m African Diaspora Fund, presumably they had other things to talk about. Like how our national football team didn't have enough players to field a team 24 hours before the clash with Mauritius at Dobsonville, or why it took nearly a year to appoint Neil Tovey as our Technical Director though he was always the only viable candidate.

And in to this awful mess, with PSL attendances slipping to record lows and the transfer market crumbling in to a slew of free transfers, bonuses for agents and contract non-renewals, AmaZulu's dreadful attempt at resurrection apparently makes barely a ripple.

But consider this, if the move goes ahead:

1 Will anybody bother to watch the "relegation dog-fight" next season if they know the side struggling to survive can simply buy their way back in?

2 If Spar's best buddy Patrick Sokhela, the AmaZulu owner, has R45m (or more, R82m according to certain reports) to spend, WHY DIDN'T HE BUY A FEW PLAYERS and avoid relegation rather than spending nothing and changing coaches three times as they slipped through the trap door?

3 What of the Aces' fans who loyally supported their club - the only PSL franchise in Mpumalanga - throughout last season? Do they get their money back now they find themselves supporting an NFD club? Will the Mbombela Stadium survive?

4 Turkish coach Muhsin Etrugral, who started pre-season before any other club in the PSL, now finds himself preparing for a season in the PSL without his top players (at least five have been told they must now move to Durban and play for AmaZulu in the PSL next season) is he REALLY going to meekly accept this deal?

5 Given Bafana Bafana's awful form - one point in AFCON2015, two penalty shoot-out failures in CONSAFA and a 0-0 draw against Africa's smallest nation Gambia to kick-off AFCON2017 qualifying - shouldn't we be considering spending money on players and creating better teams rather than buying promotion? 

What AmaZulu are doing amounts to a betrayal of South African football; the easy way out, the last-minute Iron Duke style of doing things. Instead of spending millions on fighting relegation, bringing in better players, offering bigger win bonuses, Sokhela sees fit to sack coaches and splash millions purely for status. It can't be right.

Our only hope, surely, is that FIFA or CAF will step in to make sure such a deal CANNOT happen. Sporting integrity will NOT be ground in to the dust. Sadly, given the state of both our continental and world footballing bodies, I won't be holding my breath.

Destined for the top: A brief history of South Africa's new Technical Director Neil Tovey

CONTINENTAL CHAMPION: Neil Tovey in 1996

NEIL TOVEY in 1981? Skinny teenager. Great shot. Good engine, could get up and down, box to box. Rarely lost possession. Won his first South African League title when he was still a teenager.

Neil Tovey today? South Africa's most qualified coach. Has done the rounds. Has had his share of personal challenges. Still has much to offer.

When he was announced as the South African Football Association's new Technical Director on Saturdayaround 5pm, the old nostalgia kicked in. I first came across Neil on the training ground outside the now-demolished New Kingsmead in Durban 35 years ago.

He was a year younger than me but made me look like a novice at training on a ground which now lies buried beneath the new Moses Mabhida Stadium. I'd generally fall over when he went one-on-one with me. At the time, Neil Tovey was an 19-year-old just pushed in to professional football by a chap called Clive Barker. He made the transition to the paid ranks with barely a blink.

Neil’s big brother Mark was the frightening one back in 1980. He had a big job with Puma, handed out the kit and barked when I lost possession. Though my primary role was as a football writer at the local newspaper, the Natal Mercury, I played for Durban City’s reserves while the blue-and-white hooped first team dominated the early years of non-racial football in South Africa.

My first year in Durban after university was quite a season for City, a team established in the old white NFL by Norman "Silver Fox" Elliott in 1959. Incredibly, smooth manager Butch Webster and his diminutive coach Barker created a side to match the NPSL giants from Soweto and they won Abdul Bhamjee’s newly founded NFL in 1982 (when we used to play football throughout the winter) against all expectations.

Paid peanuts and held together by a huge Scottish defender called Andy Stanton who worked as an advertising executive on week days, the Tovey brothers were integral in Barker’s plans. Sometimes they played one behind the other in central midfield, though both contributed goals. Neil could shoot from distance, Mark was the terrier mopping up. Both could play a mean through ball. A chap called Kevin Mudie got most of the goals.

City, with tiny crowds and no funds, went on to win a second successive title in 1983 before Barker led a mass-break-out to Umlazi’s gold-and-black Bush Bucks in 1984. Under the astute eye of Lawrence “Big Bear” Ngubane, the cunning mixture of City champions with talents like Daniel Ramarutsi and Mlungisi “Prof” Ngubane went on to win the championship in 1986.

By then, older brother Mark was the centre-back, Neil was more of a midfielder. He was tall and slight, and had followed Barker from local amateur club Juventus, based on Durban’s Berea.

But Neil emerged from the shadow of his big brother with aplomb in 1996, when he captained Barker’s Bafana to the African Nations Cup on home soil, a triumph rich in post-democratic fervour and Rainbow Nation unity. Now 34, Tovey was now a veteran, anchoring Kaizer Chiefs and the national squad from centre-back with the captain's armband now an immovable feature.

When he retired in 1999, aged 37, Tovey had played 341 games for Chiefs and 52 for Bafana Bafana. He smoothly transitioned to player-coach in the latter days of his playing career at Chiefs and went on to boss Mamelodi Sundowns, AmaZulu, Hellenic, Mpumalanga Black Aces and, most recently, Thanda Royal Zulu.

In 2011, when I was working in Abu Dhabi, I tried to get Tovey a job in the lucrative (but not particularly strong) United Arab Emirates Pro League, and after a recent health scare (he’s fully recovered) there were fears his greatest days were behind him.

But Saturday’s announcement of Tovey as South Africa’s new Technical Director came as a welcome relief. Since Ephraim Mashaba was handed the Bafana job nearly a year ago, Danny Jordaan had been promising a Technical Director to help Shakes, not known for his tactical acumen and clearly struggling to keep things together.

Tovey and Steve Komphela were the only qualified South Africans to do the job. Danny Jordaan and I agreed on that a year ago. But with Tovey doing television work and Komphela engrossed in pushing Maritzburg United to their highest PSL finish, movement was slow. SAFA’s technical committee chief Nataschia Tshiclas told me week after week: “We are still looking.” I waited week after week, month after month, for Tovey to ride to the rescue as Bafana struggled through AFCON and the COSAFA disaster... culminating in the awful 0-0 home draw against Gambia a fortnight ago.

With various foreign names bandied about, the appointment of Tovey – who scored top marks when taking both his UEFA A and Pro badges - is another welcome local appointment for South African football. I phoned him on Saturday during the Orlando Pirates game and he was quick to re-assure Mashaba: “I won’t be telling Shakes what to do. It’s going to be a tough job. I can't just go in there and tell people what to do.

“There are so many areas for me to look at, I don’t even know if I’ll be going to Mauritius for the second leg of the CHAN qualifier. I don't think that's a priority in my new role.

“I won’t be getting involved that much in the national side. That’s not the job. It’s my task to make things easier for Shakes. To work in the background, on development. My main task, as I see it, is to ensure younger players coming through to the national team.”

SAFA's R65m plan for a new Technical Centre south of Johannesburg will give Tovey a base for his empire; his grasp of modern UEFA techniques will soon begin to percolate through our game. As long as he can work with Mashaba, surely there's a long-awaited improvement on the cards for Bafana Bafana.