Culture: Malawi mourns death of a Legend, Jack Chamangwana

The Southern African nation is mourning a hero, Jack Chamangwana who passed on after suffering from high blood pressure. Jack had been in hospital since the beginning of the week and left this world on Sunday. The sixty-one year old Chamangwana was Malawi’s second most capped player in history with 133 appearances for the Flames. Before his passing on, the former captain had taken up the role of Technical Director at Malawian Super League side, Be Forward Wanderers.

The adored Jack made his international debut for the COSAFA affiliated country in 1975 under the guidance of Brazilian coach, Wonder Moreira. He helped Malawi to the East and Central African Challenge Cup before hanging his boots in 1985. His footballing years ended with a two-year spell at the South African Premier Soccer League giant, Kaizer Chiefs. Chamangwana also coached Tanzanian club, Young Africans and assisted Young Chimodzi who was the Flames national team coach in 2014.

"On behalf of the Kaizer Chiefs family, I would like to send love and peace and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, friends, Wanderers FC and the Malawian football family." - Kaizer Motaung, Kaizer Chiefs Owner

"We are saddened by Chamangwana's death. It has come as a shock and we cannot believe he is gone." - Gift Mkandawire, Be Forward Wanderers Chairman

Culture: South Africa has a philosopher in witty football coach, Steve Komphela

Popularly known as ‘Bra Steve,’ the South African football coach is a social media and television favorite. Steve Komphela is widely appreciated and respected in South Africa and across the borders for his almost always hilarious-post match commentaries and interviews. He intelligently reviews his teams’ performances and delivers the analysis in metaphors and riddles. Supersport presenters, Carol and Robert Marawa have always joked about how one needs to bring a thesaurus whenever they interview the philosophical coach. What I find particularly striking about Bra Steve is that he seems not be intentional about being amusing, he delivers his messages with a stern face and leaves some rolling on the floor laughing and most, reflecting on the deep lessons coded in the highly consumable speeches.

Here are some of Komphela’s famous quotes:

“We didn’t play well, but we won, we now have to wait for the next team. We go on; we hope to improve from here. Statistics are like a bikini, they don’t reveal everything.”

“If you go to the graveyard and haunt the sleeping, the spirits shall come to haunt you. And this is what transpired. They needed to come up, and it was at our expense.”

“The PSL has rough seas and there are plenty of sharks – teams with strong financial muscle. We have already gone through two dangerous sharks. And on Saturday we face the Great White Shark. It will be very difficult, one has to acknowledge their strength but we confidently move to Saturday hoping that by the end of the match we will be smiling.”

— Komphela ahead of his side’s Nedbank Cup semi-final against Mamelodi Sundowns

Steve Komphela has enjoyed quite a relatively successful career as a player and mostly as a manager. He has coached a plethora of South African clubs including Maritzburg United, Free State Stars, Platinum Stars, South Africa U-23 and South African national team as a caretaker coach. Komphela who is also a teacher by profession has recently left the Kaizer Chiefs coaching job after as a result of ever-mounting pressure from the fans.

Transfers: Premier League clubs on Egyptian “Trezeguet” alert

Mahmoud Hassan nicknamed after the French striker, David Trezeguet, is in the hot red form on loan at the Turkish side, Kasimpasa from Anderlecht. Sources to ESPN informed that Everton, Leicester City, and Burnley have sent scouts to watch the 23-year-old play as the clubs are on the lookout to bolster their attacking options this summer. Hassan has scored 14 goals for Kasimpasa and registered five assists. With one year remaining on his contract, the English Premier League clubs would be very optimistic of landing him for a bargain price.

‘Trezeguet’ was also instrumental in Egypt’s successful world cup campaign, playing on the opposite wing of imminent Ballon d’Or candidate, Mohamed Salah. He will most likely follow his countryman to England, more so if he impresses at next month’s FIFA World Cup Finals in Russia.

Culture: Brazilian legends, Roberto Carlos and Julio Baptista in Zimbabwe

In their efforts to present Zimbabwe as a safe tourism destination under the national perception management project, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has welcomed two ex-superstars of the game into the country. Roberto Carlos and Baptista were expected to alight in the South African nation on Thursday, 03 May 2018.

"The World Class Legends visit to the destination is a sports tourism initiative to promote Brand Zimbabwe. The World Class Legends CEO Rayco Garcia, former Brazilian and Real Madrid left-back Roberto Carlos and Julio Baptista arrive at Robert Mugabe International Airport at 1715hrs aboard Emirates. A press conference will follow thereafter at Meikles Hotel at 1800hrs." - Zimbabwe Tourism Authority

Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha made a name for himself from mid-1990 to mid-2005 appearing for Spanish giants, Real Madrid - where he spent eleven seasons. He scored 71 goals from the left-back position and won four La Liga titles and three Uefa Champions League trophies. He was best known for his stamina, speed, strength and bending free-kicks going as high as 169 km/hr. His world cup winning teammate, Júlio César Clemente Baptista, nicknamed the beast played for Major League Soccer Side, Orlando City SC, Sao Paulo, Sevilla and successfully transferred to Real Madrid. The forward also spent some time at Arsenal on loan and at Roma.

Zimbabwe has previously brought Barcelona legends to play the National team legends in November 2017.

2018 CAF Champions League: The race to the quarter-finals begins!

The premier club competition on the continent roars back into life this weekend. The final sixteen teams, organized in four groups will battle it out for the eight quarter-final spots. Only the first and runners-up from each group will progress. Below is the group by group analysis:

Group A

Tunisian outfit, Esperance will be looking to revenge a 2017 quarterfinal loss when they visit Egyptian champions, Al Ahly. Township Rollers of Botswana will host Kampala City Authority of Uganda in a relatively unfamiliar fixture where either of the teams are not expected to challenge the two North African sides for quarter-final places.

Group B

This group has been dubbed the group of death for the 2018 tournament. Holders of the CAF Confederation Cup, TP Mazembe who are also five-time CAF Champions League winners will welcome two-time champions, Setif, in DR Congo. There is another all North African clash between Mouloudia Alger of Algeria and Difaa El Jadida of Morocco who are quite prolific, having scored 29 goals between them in eight qualifiers.

Group C

Arguably, the most anticipated match is in this group, where South African champions, Mamelodi Sundowns look to get one over defending champions, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco who knocked-out the South African side in a quarter-final penalty shootout last year.

Debutants, Port of Togo and Horoya of Guinea will also begin their races to try and cause an upset in this group.

Group D

Former champions, Etoile Sahel of Tunisia are expected to cruise to the top spot with their first encounter being a visit to Primeiro Agosto of Angola who had been absent from the competition for 21-years. Kingdom of the eSwatini side, Mbabane Swallows will carry on their fairytale season with a visit to Ndola to face another Zambian opposition, Zesco United.

Matchday 1 kicks off this Friday with the matches continuing on Saturday.

Bouna Sarr refuses to represent Senegal at the FIFA World Cup 2018

Bouna Sarr is a defender who plays for Marseille in the French Ligue 1. He is a son of a Senegalese father and a Guinea mother who was born in France in 1992. The player has never represented a national team in his whole career, and is now 26 years of age. He got an opportunity of a lifetime to go and play at the FIFA World Cup this year in Russia, an opportunity that some of the greatest legends in football like Ryan Giggs never got until they retired. However, this did not prevent him for declining the chance to represent Senegal. He said, “It’s France and nothing else, nothing else is a big word, but I always dreamed of playing for the French team.”

This is not the first time that the player has declined the opportunity to play for an African team. He once also rejected to play for Guinea in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations saying that, “I’m French, I was born here I only have an attraction for the Blues.” Current Arsenal player, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang was also born in Laval, France but chose to represent the nation of his parents in Gabon. How odd is that?

Bouna Sarr is not the first player to reject the chance to represent African teams. In fact, there are so many other players in the past, some are even football legends, who chose to play for other nations like France, Italy and Portugal, even though they either were of African descent or they were born in the motherland. Let’s take a look at some of these players.

Firstly, the English Premier League was graced with a fantastic player in Patrick Vieira who played and captained Arsenal for many years. He was part of the famous ‘Invincible’ squad that went the whole season without losing a single match. He is also a World Cup winner with France having lifted the trophy in 1998. But did you know that he was born in Dakar, Senegal? Patrick began his career at Cannes in 1994 after his family moved from Dreux when he was eight years old. His surname, Vieira, is Portuguese and is the maiden name of his mother who also hails from Cape Verde. African blood in his veins and also born in Africa, but he chose to represent France because of reasons unknown. What we appreciate is his contribution to the game and creating a legacy where new players who play in a similar position are dubbed ‘the new Patrick Vieira’. Imagine what could have been had he represented the Senegalese nation?

Cristiano Ronaldo is the face of the Portuguese nation. Hold your horses there! We are not saying he is African, but…he shares the dressing room with someone from Africa. There was once a time when Manchester United produced a talent that looked like he was capable of equaling the player’s greatness. Louis Nani is the name of the player in question who was a promise but eventually failed to leave up to the hype. He, much like Ronaldo, represents the Portuguese nation and was part of the squad that lifted Portugal’s first major title in the UEFA Euro 2016. What most people might not know is the fact that the player is descendent from a small but beautiful island in Africa. Cape Verde is one of the tourist destinations in the continent with numerous beaches and has traditional morna music that Nani is familiar with because of his parents. There are some reports that he was born in Praia, Cape Verde but chose to represent Portugal and his decision is arguably justified after playing a part in the history-making Euros 2016.

Also, Super Mario is another player of African descent who chose to represent Italy instead of Ghana. Of course, we do not mean the game. Mario Balotelli, a striker that has represented clubs like Liverpool, Manchester City, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Nice, is a son of Ghanaian parents. He was approached by the African team to represent them in 2008, but he refused because he was waiting for Italy to give him the nod. It is entirely a surprise why he is someone of questionable behaviour considering the way African parents discipline their kids. Mario is a wild card that has given headaches to his managers, Mourinho and Mancini because of his unpredictable behaviour. He is capable of skipping practice sessions without any reason, start a fight with teammates or even try some of the silliest things on the football pitch like doing a 360 turn alone when he is through on goal. The player is currently on a forced sabbatical from the national team after being exiled by the former Italy boss, Ventura who thought the player disrupted the camp.

Some so many players represented European sides. Some names worth mentioning include Zinedine Zidane (the current Real Madrid coach) of Algerian descent, Makelele born in Congo, N’golo Kante from Mali etc. Who else can you think of that we could have mentioned?

Spotlight: Who is Yaya Toure?

As we approach the end of the English Premier League season, FirstTouch takes time to look back and appreciate one of the most influential players in the league. Yaya Toure, an all-round midfielder from Cote d’Ivoire, played for Barcelona and Manchester City in the best years of his career. The 33-year old is approaching the end of his time at the Etihad with his contract set to expire at the end of the 2017/18 season. Let’s look at what Yaya Toure has been through during his stay at the above-mentioned clubs in Europe.   

First off, let’s focus on his time at Barcelona. Yaya Toure joined Barcelona from Monaco in 2007 for £6.7m after being an influential midfielder for the French side where he rescued them from relegation. However, Toure had problems with the previous manager of the club, Laszlo Boloni, who was not playing him in his midfield most preferred position. When he joined Barcelona, he enjoyed the first season under Rijkaard where he made a total of 40 appearances which managed two goals. Yaya Toure was still in the shadow of big brother Kolo who was making a name for himself at Arsenal as a rock solid defender in the EPL. Guardiola took over the reins just a year later, and he preferred Busquets to Yaya Toure as the defensive midfielder for Barcelona in 2008. The promise of first-team football in his preferred position at Barcelona was not going to be possible. Guardiola used the player as a center-back in the UEFA Champions League final in 2009 when the team suffered from injuries. He was later allowed to move to the club of his dream in 2010.

Manchester City approached Toure and he, initially thought that he would be joining Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. It was his agent who clarified that he was joining the team who wears blue and he was excited by the challenge of joining a club that was in the shadow of their local rivals. Manchester City paid £24.6 million for the services of a player who was pretty much a reserve player and Toure was going to be receiving £139,000 a week. The journey of the African player to become a legend at the Etihad Stadium was set on course.

2012 was a year of history for the cash-rich Manchester club. It is the year that the club beat Manchester United to the title on goal difference. Sergio Aguero scored the winner for Manchester City in stoppage time of the last game in the 2011/12 season. Yaya Toure was an integral part of the club’s midfield. This earned him much respect in the English Premier League and comparisons with some of the greatest midfielders in the league like Keane, Vieira, etc. was just a moment away. Toure came out and thanked his teammates for the title and paid tribute to his manager for trusting in him and playing him in a position that he found difficult to maintain in the previous clubs he represented.

In addition to that, Toure evolved to become a ruthless attacker who scored goals that are still admired today. In the 2013/14 season, Yaya Toure assumed a more attacking role in Manchester City and even though he was primarily deployed as a defensive midfielder. This season, Yaya Toure managed to score 20 goals in the English Premier League which was unspoken off considering that he came from deep to set himself up and his contribution won his club the English Premier League title again as well as the FA Cup. At this moment, Yaya Toure had become the more popular player in his family and had stepped out of the shadow of the former Arsenal player.

His career might sound smooth when reading this piece, but Toure has had his fair share of controversy during his time at City. The player once threatened to leave the club because they had forgotten to show him love on his 31st birthday. His agent, Dimitry Seluk, is the one that confirmed the story that the player felt disrespected and the club was put under pressure. Some saw this incident as a stunt by the pair to pressurize the club to improve the terms of the contract, and the club fell for it. His contract saw him being the highest paid player in English football at $334,000 a week. All this was soon going to fade away with the player approaching the ‘old age’ years.

The manager who pushed him out of the club at Barcelona and laughed at Toure for joining a ‘s**t’ team eventually found his way to Toure’s home. Pep Guardiola has announced the new boss at Manchester City in 2016, and the Ivorian player probably knew that he was doomed. It is no secret that the pair had a rocky relationship because of the way the manager treated Toure at Barcelona and eventually forced him to move to the Citizens. This time, Guardiola took over a club where Toure was already a legend and was the focal point of the team before Aguero. The Spaniard soon changed that and eventually left Yaya out of the first team after his manager after Toure’s agent, Dimitry Seluk, called out Guardiola on his hypocrisy in coming to England after making fun of the club in 2010. This did not sit down well with Guardiola, and he punished the player because of his agent’s words. The fans were heartbroken by this situation but the relationship was mended, and Yaya was restored to the first team early last year. He played enough to earn another year in an extension.

This season seems like it will be his last at Manchester City and he has been ousted again for the third time in his career by the same manager. Guardiola brought replacements for the player because he does not believe in his abilities and it is about time that the player takes the next step in his career. Toure played in the 4-1 win against West Ham today, and he could only manage a second-half appearance even when the team has been confirmed champions of the Premier League this season. It is evident that Guardiola never like him and the African player will probably leave in the summer. It has been quite a journey for the Ivorian midfielder who won the La Liga (twice), Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup, League Cup (twice), and the English Premier League on three occasions. He has undoubtedly subscribed his name in the Hall of Fame of not just English football, but on the European scene and he will be missed if he decides to call his time at the end of the season.

Abroad: Ghanaian midfielder charged with two counts of rape

Ghanaian midfielder, Kingsley Sarfo who joined Swedish side, Malmo in June 2017 is going to be prosecuted for two counts of statutory rape of a minor. He is accused of committing the crimes in September 2016 and June 2017.

Prosecutor Rikard Darell announced that he had enough evidence to prosecute Sarfo in Malmo after a series of investigations and interrogations.

"Now the investigation is complete and I think I have sufficient reason for prosecution.The evidence consists largely of contacts between suspect and plaintiff on social media. In addition, a series of interrogations, including witnesses, has been carried out.” - Rikard Darell

The 23-year-old midfielder has been in custody since February is currently suspended by his club and receives no salary. He admitted to having sex with the minor but denies committing a crime as he thought she was older.

Zambia 1993 Plane Crash: Remembering the fallen heroes

On the 27th of April in 1993, a talented Zambian squad on its way to Dakar, Senegal to play a world cup qualifier match, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after shortly taking off from Libreville, Gabon. All the twenty-five squad members passed on, including the flight crew. As we remember the amazing Chipolopolo side, we look at some of the Zambians paying tribute to the fallen footballing heroes.

The Zambian captain, Kalusha Bwalya, who is a survivor of the 1993 national team set up after he had made separate arrangements to join the team in Dakar from his club, PSV Eindhoven, paid his respects on Twitter:

“Today I decided to go give homage to my fallen teammates a day earlier. A day does not go by that I don’t think about my family that I lost off the coast of Gabon in 1993. 25 years later my heart is still broken. A team that could have gone so far.” - Kalusha Bwalya

The former Chipolopolo captain who led the team to a historic and emotional 2012 AFCON title triumph, Christopher Katongo has also paid his respects encouraged the country to do more for the families of those who tragically passed on in the accident.

"We have to remember in a way that the family actually has to feel it. We are not doing enough for the family to really feel we had a hero.” - Christopher Katongo

Speaking about the country’s state at the time of the accident, Katongo added:

"The whole country was quiet. Nobody was shouting, it was only whispering. I had never seen the country quite like that. No one was listening to music, everybody was listening to the radio and every hour there was news of the crash." - Christopher Katongo

To the 1993 Copper bullets side, we remember!

Abroad: Meet Irfan Kawri, the Zambian football manager on the rise

There weren’t any Africans in the Ballon D’Or conversation since George Weir, but Mohamed Salah has completely changed that. In the same vein, the notion of not having a lot of Africans in the management of top teams in the world might soon be history. ESPN made contact with Irfan Kawri, the former Zambian national team assistant coach who is moving mountains in the United Kingdom. Irfan left the Chipolopolo job after their 2016 African Nations Championship and African Nations qualifier for England where he was born to a Zambian mother and Indian father. He now serves as the assistant of the coach lower league side, Clitheroe FC combining that with an Opposition Analyst and Scout role with Championship side, Queens Park Rangers. It doesn’t end there, the physical education and football teacher also works with the Manchester Schoolboys U-14s. It’s a combination of roles that complement each other, definitely building him to know a whole lot about the game.

"The balance is good in the sense that I am using different skills and abilities, and developing my skillset which makes it extensive. The skills and abilities are transferable.” - Irfan Kawri

He also refuses to be bothered by the challenges that may come as a result of being a Black and Minority Ethic coach learning his trade in English Lower Leagues:

"Although the general public will say people from BME background are underrepresented and at a disadvantage. I have never ever brought any attention to that. Every role I have had I've got through hard work and thanks to my personality. I've never been involved with or taken advantage of any BME scheme or initiative."

The likes of Jose Mourinho, Andres Villas Boas, Louis Van Gaal and Roy Hodgson previously combined teaching and scouting roles before being management greats. The 36-year-old, Irfan Kawri may soon join that company.

Abroad: Kalidou Koulibaly on his way to Chelsea?

Senegal and Napoli centre-back, Kalidou Koulibaly could become the world’s second most expensive defender after reports in Europe suggested that he could be leaving the Italian side. The reports cite that Chelsea are front-runners in the race to secure the Senegalese’ services and are preparing a bid of around £65 million which is only £10 million less than what Liverpool paid for Virgil Van Dijk in a world record deal for a defender.

The 26-year old has been an exceptional player for Napoli attracting interest from an array of English Premier League teams such as Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City. He recently blew the Italian Serie A title race open by securing a 1-0 win over leaders Juventus for his club with a fine fine header. He joined Napoli in the summer of 2014 from Belgian side KRC Genk for a fee of £7 million and has made 161 appearances, scoring eight goals for the club.

Chelsea are looking to defensively strengthen a side that has typically failed to defend a Premier League title and sit in fifth place, five points adrift the final champions league spot occupied by Tottenham. They, however, have a chance to salvage some silverware, should they overcome Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United in the FA Cup final. Perhaps Antonio Conte’s “dark days” could end with some silver lining.

Abroad: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on why he is the “batman”

Gabonese forward, Pierre, has revealed why he has and would from time to time continue wearing superhero masks on the field of play. Speaking to Arsenal Player, the forward, who joined the North London club in January commented on the first incident where he was caught in the act:

“The very first time I put a mask on, it was Spiderman when I was at Saint-Etienne, it was a tribute to a goalkeeper at the club, Jeremie Janot. When I was younger he came out onto the pitch in the full Spiderman suit and played in goal. It was crazy! On his birthday, I put the mask on to celebrate that.” - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The 28-year old is clearly more than just about stylish haircuts, summersaults or bags full of goals, he has a father’s heart:

“The second time, it was my son's birthday, when I was playing for Dortmund. I did Batman and Robin with Marco Reus against Schalke in the derby.” - The “Batman”

In his eight Premier League appearances for the Gunners, the Gabonese has scored six times and registered three assists. And for all the Arsenal fans who have crying out for some swag, there is more to come:

“There are others [for fans to see], for sure. Don't worry about that! Of course, after a few goals, I'll share some nice celebrations with the fans." - P.E Aubameyang

Abroad: King Salah gives Egyptians goosebumps

It is true that Mohamed Salah has become the only soundtrack on global media houses’ playlists. But away from all of that and how much we are loving him, we look at what Cairo and Egypt as a country feels about the lad turned King. Reuters TV took a tour and here is what they got:

"Honestly as soon as Salah scores we all feel goosebumps all over our body." Coffee Shop Worker, Sherif Hussein

"Despite not being a football fan, I am very proud of Mohamed Salah. was able to present a very good picture of to the international world. About Egyptians, Arabs, and Islam. He was able to present an image of us elegantly and easily." - Cairo resident, Fatma Saad

"Mohamed Salah is the best player in Egypt and is really representing us. He will be the best player in the world. He is royalty and everyone loves him. Everyone is proud of him. He is making Egypt proud abroad." - Unnamed Cairo Resident

 More than just the endless accolades and records broken, Salah gives a whole nation of more than 90 million people, hope, a sense of pride and fulfillment and other positive feelings best explained the phrase, “he gives us goosebumps.” He just plays football and puts it in the back of the net more often than most at a humble club in Liverpool, Merseyside - but in turn, he gives people more than they could adequately articulate. That’s the amazing power of the game we all love.

Apart from being endorsed as President of Egypt in the recent elections, Salah is leading the race for both England and Europe’s golden shoe having already scored more than Messi and Ronaldo at 45 goals in all competitions.All his current successes and the possibility of him leading Liverpool to a UEFA Champions League trophy presents an exciting prospect of winning the world’s best player accolade (Ballon d’or), breaking Messi and Ronaldo’s ten years of dominance.

Can he win it?

World Cup Rush: Iheanacho next in line for Leicester’s No.10 role

Nigerian international, Kelechi Iheanacho who plies his trade with English top flight side, Leicester City; is tipped to end the season on a high as he sets his eyes on being part of Gernot Rohr’s final 23 man squad for the FIFA World Cup Finals in Russia. Kelechi has struggled to get some consistent game time since moving from Manchester City in a £25 million deal in the summer. He has scored five times in 23 appearances inclusive of only ten starts in all competitions since moving to the King Power Stadium. This lack of game time at his club might have somehow influenced the extent of his role in the Super Eagles squad as Rohr used him mostly as a substitute in Nigeria’s world cup qualification campaign.

There is new hope for the Nigerian to make a statement before the season comes to a close as Leicester City boss, Claude Puel hinted at trying him out on the No.10 role as opposed to his familiar No.9. It’s a position that Puel has not been satisfied with even after deploying Riyad Mahrez and Demarai Gray in it. Could the 21-year-old ace it ahead of Okazaki and build some momentum to be considered for a crucial role in Nigeria’s squad for Russia 2018? Nigeria could actually benefit from having more attacking options since they have not been very good going forward.

“I think until the end of the season it will be an opportunity for different players to play and take some habits, perhaps to give a good solution. We know all the hard work from Okazaki, for example, and, in the last game, Kele had good intensity and quality. Yes, Kele is a young player he can have game time, he can improve and give a good option for the future. We will see. We have different options and it is interesting to try.” - Claude Puel, Leicester City Manager

Leicester City will play Crystal Palace on the 28th of April where Kelechi could start for the foxes in the No.10 position.

Zimbabwe: Referee hailed for rejecting a bribe

The Zimbabwean football association (ZIFA), commended the nation’s top referee, Norman Matemera for turning down a (USD) $10 000 bribe from Equatorial Guinea’s Desportivo Niefang. The club was working the Togolese match commissioner, Lawson Mawume to reach out to the Zimbabwean referee delegation led by Norman Matemera to influence the result of their decisive CAF Confederation play-off tie against Williamsville Athletic Club of Ivory Coast. The match eventually ended with Desportivo winning 2-1 but failing to progress as they lost 2-0 in the reverse encounter. After the match, the match commissioner and Desportivo dumped the vigilant referees to pay for their meals and transport themselves to the airport.

The 35-year-old Zimbabwean Matemera reported the attempted bribery case to CAF who are expected to take appropriate action to bring the accused to book. Matemera is one of the top officials in Southern Africa (COSAFA) to resist a bribe after South Africa’s Victor Gomes did the same. Here is what the ZIFA official had to say about the issue:

"You must recognize that there are attempts to fix a match, you must resist those attempts and you must report those attempts. In this regard, we feel proud that our referees did just that. It is quite unfortunate that in this case, it involved a match commissioner and it is a situation which makes you wonder who is going to guard the guard when those entrusted to guard are the guilty ones because the match commissioner was the one being used as the go-between in the home team's bribery attempts.But really what Matemera did speaks volumes of our honesty as a country on such issues.The referee reported the matter to CAF and I believe CAF are already seized with it. We believe CAF have adequate machinery to deal with such issues.”  - Gladmore Muzambi, ZIFA Referees Committee Vice-Chairman

PSL South Africa: Chiefs lose again

Kaizer Chiefs’ woe continues to escalate after Golden Arrows beat them 3-1 in an Absa Premiership match that took place on Tuesday night. Amakhosi’s last chance at some silverware went begging after Free State Stars dumped them out of the Nedbank Cup semifinal on Saturday. After the match, some Chiefs took it onto the pitch to level matters by instigating violence which injured eighteen people. As if that was not enough, the Soweto club’s coach resigned.

Tuesday was a chance for the club to influence some positive vibes but Lerato Lamola’s fourth-minute goal did the exact opposite. The speedy Arrows forward dribbled past Tsepo Marisela and beat the acclaimed Itumeleng Khune to slot the ball home. To add insult to injury, Chiefs’ Leonardo Castro was red carded in the 10th minute. Somehow, Amakhosi managed to limit Arrows to only one goal before they equalized through Parker on the stroke of half-time. Three minutes in the second half, Abafana Bes’thende (The BackHeel Boys)  found their mojo back and Lamola bagged his second for the night. Clinton Larsen’s men became then became fairly comfortable with sitting in before Ndwandwe grabbed a third goal for the Arrows in stoppage time. The win moved Arrows up to ninth on the log whilst Chiefs remain in fourth.

In other Absa matches played on Tuesday, Bloemfontein Celtic and Chippa United played out to a goalless draw while Ajax Cape Town eased relegation fears by edging Baroka FC, 1-0.

World Cup Rush: Nigeria’s Ighalo picking up form and Elneny injury scare

One of the Super Eagles’ likely striking options at this years’ FIFA World Cup finals in Russia seems to be picking up form just the moment they desperately need him to. Gernot Rohr’s men were criticised for not being decisive or picking out the right passes in the final third over the international break when they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Serbia. The Chinese Super League based, Odion Ighalo stepped up in a huge way over the weekend, scoring four times in Changchun Yatai’s 5-2 win away at Guizhou Hengfeng. He has now found the back of the net, five times in seven matches.

"I have not been lucky in front of goal but today God gave me all the ones that haven't been entering since the start of the season at once." - Odion Ighalo

Meanwhile, Egypt got an injury scare ahead of the world cup finals after Arsenal midfielder, Mohamed Elneny had to be stretchered off their match at home to West Ham United. The North London club has confirmed that Elneny suffered an ankle ligament injury and are hopeful that he would return to action before the season expires.

"We are hoping that Mo will available for Arsenal again this season and we are keeping in regular contact with the Egyptian Football Association."  - Arsenal FC

The 25-year-old midfielder has recently become a favorite in the Arsenal defensive department of the midfield in Arsene Wenger’s last days at the club. He also possesses the ability to charge forward and pick out the right passes or even threaten the goal. He is expected to link up nicely with the PFA Player of the year, Mo Salah, in Russia, for the Egyptian Pharaohs.

Weekend Wrap: PSL heavyweights humbled & fan violence incident steals the headlines

This years’ Nedbank Cup finalists are Free State Stars and the Team of Choice, Maritzburg United. The above dumped two of the most successful clubs in South African football who were easily perceived as favorites to win the silverware. The Team of Choice tactically squeezed the life out of the PSL Champions in waiting, Mamelodi Sundowns to ease to a 3-1 victory also gifting the Brazilians their first loss in fifteen matches.

Another uninspiring performance by Kaizer Chiefs saw them losing 2-0 to Free State Stars who now have a chance to capture some silverware after 24 in waiting, should they go past an “awkward” Maritzburg United as described by the Sundowns’ boss, Pitso Mosimane. The Amakhosi loss led inspired an eventful weekend where we witnessed their fans run onto the pitch and cause some scene which many would wish they could be quickly erased from the memories of the beautiful game. The frustrated Chiefs fans were literally shoving down cameras, throwing rubbish on the pitch and chasing down the retreating players and coaching staff from both teams.

As if that was not enough, the end of it all was the resignation of the under-fire Kaizer Chiefs gaffer, Steve Komphela, who hit out at the new generation, describing them as being impatient.

The Chiefs chairman, Kaizer Motaung has issued a statement condemning the unruly scenes that took center stage at Moses Mabhida stadium. The club will still have to appear before a PSL Disciplinary Committee on the 3rd of May 2018. The SA Premier Soccer League has since promised to beef up security at all domestic matches.