HERMAN GIBBS
It was a good weekend for South African football with several pointers that the game in Mzansi is thriving. Stellenbosch FC, Orlando Pirates and UWC Ladies all triumphed in continental showdowns, while South African coach Fadlu Davids enjoyed a rip-roaring start to his tenure at Simba FC in Tanzania. Here, we look at five talking points from the domestic football front.
Pirates hit islanders for four, as revenge mission looms
After the Madagascans Disciples FC had surprisingly held Orlando Pirates to a goalless draw in their first tie in the CAF Champions League first preliminary round last week, the outcome was vastly different in the second tie over the weekend.
Pirates hammered the islanders 4-0 and will progress to the second preliminary round. This has raised the call from The Ghost: “Time for revenge!” This is because their next opponents, Jwaneng Galaxy, dumped Pirates out of the Champions League last season.
Stars or not, Stellies are none the worse for wear
Even though Stellenbosch have offloaded star players to rival clubs recently, their season is going swimmingly well. They downed eSwatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs with an 8-0 aggregate (3-0, 5-0) victory in seven days.
This was their third match of the new season, starting with a 3-1 MTN8 win over TS Galaxy. In Saturday’s 5-0 win over Hotspurs, Stellenbosch fielded two debutants, one of which was Langelihle Phili. He looks like the perfect replacement for talismanic striker Iqraam Rayners, who has signed for Sundowns.
UWC fly the SA flag with distinction in Malawi
South Africa will have two representatives in the CAF Women’s Champions League for the first time after the UWC Ladies won the Cosafa qualifiers in Malawi over the weekend. Mamelodi Sundowns, the defending champions, enjoy automatic qualification.
What are the chances of an all-SA Women’s Champions League final if Sundowns and UWC reach the championship round?
Sundowns, two-time winners, have reached all three finals to date.
Stellies conveyor belt takes a Euro turn
Stellenbosch FC have sold one of their star talents, Antonio van Wyk, to second division Austrian side SV Ried. Van Wyk, whose agent is former Cape Town footballer Lance Davids, had a year left on his contract with the Winelands club.
The 22-year-old winger was on the shopping list of several local clubs, including Kaizer Chiefs. Considering how many players Stellies have sold, it is unlikely they will entertain more offers during this transfer window.
Davids’ Simba SC off to a rip-roaring start
Davids, the former Orlando Pirates coach, is moulding Simba SC to become the juggernauts of the Tanzanian Premier League. After two league matches in charge, coach Davids has guided the side to 3-0 and 4-0 wins.
Simba top the 2024/25 NBC Premier League Log and next up for Davids and Co will be a CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round match against Al-Ahly Tripoli of Libya on September 13. The Tanzanian Premier League will break now to allow the national team to prepare for matches next month.