Abroad: Ekambi bags award for top African player in Ligue 1

Cameroon and Angers forward, Karl Toko Ekambi, became the tenth recipient of the Marc-Vivien Foe Award for the best African player in France’s top flight league. Ekambi beat Tunisian Wahbi Khazri who plays for Rennes and Lyon’s summer acquisition, Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso) to the award. The 25-year-old France born forward scored occupies the eighth place on the Ligue 1 scoring charts after finding the back of the net 17 times for 14th placed Angers FC in the 2017/18 Ligue 1 campaign. Ekambi was also quick to pay tribute to his counterparts he beat to the award:

"I'm proud to have won this title in front of players who play in big clubs in Ligue 1. I know them especially for playing against them. I do not know them personally. But I know that Bertrand Traore played in big clubs. He is young enough but he already has a good record and a lot of great clubs under his belt. And Wahbi Khazri is a major player in the French Championship. It's a big season too." - Karl Toko Ekambi, Cameroon and Angers FC

Ekambi became the first Indomitable Lions player to win the award dedicated to his compatriot, Marc-Vivien Foe who died on the field of play in 2003. He was also part of the Cameroon squad that won the 2017 AFCON title in Gabon and has been in Angers books since 2016 after joining them from Sochaux.

Here is the list of previous winners of the Marc-Vivien Foe Award:

2017: Jean Michael Seri (Ivory Coast, Nice)

2016: Sofiane Boufal (Morocco/Lille)

2015: Andre Ayew (Ghana/Marseille)

2014: Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria/Lille)

2013: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Saint-Étienne)

2012: Younès Belhanda (Morocco/Montpellier)

2011: Gervinho (Ivory Coast/Lille)

2010: Gervinho (Ivory Coast/Lille)

2009: Marouane Chamakh (Morocco/Bordeaux)

Unbeaten Barcelona run ended by Levante

Levante hosted Barcelona in the Estadi Ciutat de València for a La Liga clash between the two Spanish teams. The Catalonia giants had not been defeated up to this stage and were on course to be a part of the historical Invincible sides like Arsenal and Juventus who achieved this feat in their league. All they had to do was to avoid defeat in their last two matches but Levante had other ideas. Valverde started the match with Mina and Vermaelen in the middle of defense flanked by Semedo and Alba. He was made to rue this decision as he saw his Barcelona team ship in a number of goals. Barcelona started off well with Dembele fizzling a shot just too high over the goal before seeing his cross to an unmarked Suarez was blocked. On the 8th minute, Ghanaian striker Boateng scored from Jose Luis Morales cross. The forward scored Levante’s second on the 30th minute when he latched onto Sasa Lukic’s pass before rounding off Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and shrugging off a challenge from Barcelona right-back, Nelson Semedo. Philippe Coutinho reduced the deficit in half when he struck a beautifully curled effort on the 38th minute past the Levante goalkeeper.

From then, it was all Levante as Enis Bardhi scored just 33 seconds into the second half from a through pass by Jose Campagna. Boateng completed his hat-trick before Bardhi scored Levante’s 5th of the night. Barcelona needed to score 5 to win the match and they came close through Coutinho’s second-half double and Luis Suarez’s penalty. 5-4 was the final score from the match and Boateng shined on the greatest night in Levante’s 108-year history. This result marks the first defeat for Barcelona in La Liga meaning that Iniesta will leave the club without completing this final piece.

Liverpool qualify for Champions League at the expense of Chelsea

Newcastle hosted Chelsea at St James’ Park with the away team looking for a win in hope of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League. Liverpool sat in 4th place with a 2-point advantage over Chelsea in 5th. A result at St James’ Park would not be enough so they hoped that Liverpool would lose against Brighton. What a complex situation that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic is not comfortable with. The match kicked off and there was not much a difference between the two teams until Thibaut Courtois saved a rocket of a shot from Jonjo Shelvey who tried his luck 30 yards out. On the 22nd minute, Dwight Gayle scored the opener of the match from a rebound after Murphy’s effort was punched into his path by the Chelsea goalkeeper. That was the only goal of the first half in a must-win match for Chelsea who had their UEFA Champions League qualification on the line. The London side came close to scoring in the 52nd minute when Olivier Giroud connected to Ross Barkley’s cross before flicking it towards goal. The ball looked destined for goal and would have been a contender for one of the best goals of the EPL this season but Dubvraka was having none of that as he produced a fingertip save to deny the French striker. Ayoze Perez diverted in Shelvey’s shot on the 58th minute to make it 2-0 to Newcastle. The Spanish striker scored the third and final goal of the match from a pass by Florian Lejeune. This victory means that Chelsea will join Arsenal in the UEFA Europa League tournament next season.

In other news, Mo Salah broke the record of goals scored in 38-matches league. He converted his 32nd English Premier League goal in Liverpool’s 4-0 win against Brighton which means that he has scored more than EPL Legends like Shearer, Ronaldo, Van Persie, Van Nistelrooy etc. The African player has had an outstanding season having led his team to the UEFA Champions League final which will be played against Real Madrid on the 26th of May. His goal also managed to seal Liverpool’s participation in the UEFA Champions League for next season. The player walks home with the English Premier League Golden Boot. What an awesome season he has had.

Arsenal win on Wenger’s last match

Arsenal’s long-reigning manager, Arsene Wenger, took charge of his last match as the boss on Sunday against Huddersfield away from home. The club had not collected a single point since the turn of the year and were looking to end on a more favorable note in the Frenchman’s last match. A strong line-up was announced for the away side which saw an attacking trio of Aubameyang, Lacazette, and Mkhitaryan lead the line ahead of Ramsey, Iwobi, and Granit Xhaka. Nerves were flying high for the Arsenal team who were out to prove a point that they have potential to be great again under the right tutelage of a competent manager. Huddersfield had a better start and looked to spoil the party for Wenger’s farewell celebrations as Tom Ince failed to bury home a cut-back from Alex Pritchard. As the match progressed, two planes flew over the stadium paying tribute to Arsene Wenger. One had the hashtag #OneArseneWenger and the other with a message, “Merci Arsene. We’ll miss you too.”

It was such an emotional match and the manager’s last signing ever, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang stole the show as he finished off an Aaron Ramsey pass on the 38th minute. The Gabon international was out to thank the manager for believing in him and allowing him the opportunity to test himself out in the English Premier League. This goal against Huddersfield means that Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang has scored a total of 10 Premier League goals. The forward has already proved a gem for the team and the next manager would have to find ways to make him play against Lacazette because he can also create goals having assisted 4 since January. Arsenal resisted a couple of efforts from Huddersfield to grind out Arsene Wenger’s 716th win as well as picking up the club’s first points in 2018. It would have been better if he managed to win the UEFA Europa League this season but his team was eliminated by Atletico Madrid in the semifinals. We are grateful that he leaves the club with other memories such as winning the English Premier League in the 2001/02 season without losing a single match. Au revoir Arsene!

Nigeria: Super Eagles to welcome Atletico Madrid for a friendly

We are witnessing matches of unprecedented scale happening on the continent. Firstly it is the Sundowns - Barcelona showdown, the Kenyans followed suit with Gor Mahia booking a date with Hull City Tigers and now, Los Rojiblancos will be coming to Uyo to face the Super Eagles. The match is part of the maiden edition of the GOtv Max and is scheduled to take place on the 22nd of May at the Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo. Excitement is building up in all stakeholders as the La Liga giants boasting of ten league titles, ten Copa Del Rey trophies, two UEFA Europa League and super cup trophies since their inception in 1903, make a historic visit to Nigeria. They are considered to be one of the most organized and defensive teams in Europe under Diego Simeone and will thus give Nigeria’s attack some challenges and possibly further highlight areas of improvement ahead of the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.

"We are delighted to bring one of the three biggest clubs from La Liga to Nigeria in what we believe will be a historic visit. As you all know Atlético Madrid is one of the top clubs in La Liga. GOtv customers and indeed, football fans in Nigeria, will have the rare opportunity of watching the stars play the Super Eagles right here on Nigerian soil " - Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Sales, and Marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria.

"This is a historic announcement and we are excited to share this news with our Nigerian fans: Atletico Madrid, one of Liga's greatest clubs, will come to Nigeria and give our fans the chance to enjoy watching their stars up close. Africa and Nigeria, in particular, are very important for us and have a lot of love for Spanish football, something we are proud of". - Javier Tebas, La Liga President

Liberia: President Weah plans to construct mini-soccer stadiums in seven counties.

The only African footballer to have won both the FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or award and now president of Liberia has submitted a request to the Liberian Legislature to approve a sports development initiative. President George Weah intends to build seven modern mini-soccer stadiums in the capital cities of seven counties namely Harper, Maryland County; Barclayville, Grand Kru; Greenville, Sinoe; Cestos, Rivercess: Zwedru, Grand Gedeh; Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount, and Bopolu, Gbarpolu County.

“... .trust that the Legislature will ratify this Agreement which seeks to provide employment, build our infrastructure, strengthen our Union and drive our Pro-Poor Agenda for the good of our Liberian people." President George Weah

President George Weah also submitted US $536.4m Loan Agreement for Ratification between Eton Finance PTE Ltd and the Liberian Government. In his communication, the president also revealed that the project would be constructed by a Joint Venture Consortium (JVC) comprising of the Chinese Engineering and Construction company together with many other homegrown companies. A vetting process and confirmation of all the participating companies will be handled by the Ministry of Public Works. The loan is also expected to be partially used for the country’s other construction projects.

Before becoming president, George enjoyed an illustrious footballing career in Europe, playing for AC Milan, PSG, Monaco, and Chelsea.

2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations : Zimbabwe readies preparations for Zambia clash

The final qualifying round for the 2018 Women’s AFCON to be held in Ghana from November to December is almost here. Despite all their challenges on late or nonpayment of salaries by the nation’s football body (ZIFA), the Mighty Warriors of Zimbabwe are determined to put a good show when they face arch-rivals Zambia for a spot at the finals. The Mighty Warriors coach, Sithelelwe “Kwinji15” Sibanda hopes that ZIFA will come through quickly to get their preparations underway for the two-legged tie scheduled between June 4 and June 9, 2018. Kwinji15 has also underlined the importance to play a few friendly matches to get her players into the competitive mode since the country does not have a local women’s football league. Zimbabwe eliminated Namibia, 4-0 on aggregate to set up a date with Zambia who proceeds ahead of Tanzania after an aggregate score of 4-4 because of the away goals rule.

"Qualifying for the next round means tougher matches. Zambia are taking this game seriously and they have just resumed camp up to the time we play them. Hopefully, the office (ZIFA) should get something so that we start preparing . . . we just hope they organise something soon. As always all coaches want better preparations for their team.It's always ideal to get friendly matches especially when you don't have a proper league running. At the end it will always be ideal to have, at least, a longer camp, so that we can even play local friendlies and try out some combinations. It's not the best but that's the least we can do." - Kwinji 15, Zimbabwe Senior Women’s Soccer Team Coach

The last time these two teams met was at this very stage of the 2016 tournament which was won by Zimbabwe. Zambia also got their victory over the neighbors in 2014 to qualify for the Namibia tournament.

Who will emerge victoriously and book a spot at the 2018 finals?

South Africa: Freestyle footballer breaks Walcott’s Guinness World Record

South African footballing genius, Chris Njokwana, known for his artistic displays with the ball off the field of the play - has written his name in the history books. Njokwana has broken former Arsenal midfielder, Theo Walcott’s record for the highest altitude of football dropped and controlled. The Cape Town born juggler has to make at least five touches to control a ball dropped from 37.4 meters off the ground, surpassing Theo Walcott’s control from a height of 34 meters.

It took Njokwana three attempts to get the technique right and the onlooking former Bafana Bafana and Everton midfielder, Steven Pienaar, had no choice but to heap praises on the free-stylist.

"A soccer ball is hard enough to control when dropped from 2 or 3 meters high, but 37.4 meters is a whole new level.” - Steven Pienaar

Kasi football played in the South African townships and many other rocky, dusty and informal places in Africa with an improvised ball out of plastic and paper usually breeds players with incredible control and grit to make anywhere they find themselves on the globe.

You can watch Chris Njokwana’s video here.

Sundowns and Barcelona clash officially confirmed

One of the most anticipated matches to close off the 2017/18 footballing, Sundowns-Barcelona scheduled to take place on the 16th of May, had been subjected to speculation of it not happening at all. The speculation was fuelled by Barcelona not officially announcing the fixture after the Brazilians had done so and also concerns that the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) would not approve the match since it falls within the domestic season. Forget all of that, it’s going down in Johannesburg on May 16 at 4 pm GMT.  Both Mamelodi Sundowns and FC Barcelona have released communications confirming the showdown.

"Mamelodi Sundowns and the Motsepe Foundation are partnering with the Inter-Ministerial committee of the South African government that is responsible for the Nelson Mandela Centenary Celebrations, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, SAFA and La Liga. Mamelodi Sundowns is grateful to the PSL for having approved the match and to CAF for having moved the Mamelodi Sundowns match against Horoya AC in Guinea Conakry." - Mamelodi Sundowns

"FC Barcelona has always professed its admiration for Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest figures of the 20th century, who after 27 years in prison went on to become the first democratically elected president of post-apartheid South Africa from 1994 to 1999. Mandela represented the struggle for freedom and equality in the country and played a huge role in unifying the racially divided society. It is precisely this kind of spirit with which FC Barcelona has always been identified." - FC Barcelona’s Official Website

La Liga president, Javier Tebas, was also quick to give the match a thumbs up:

"We are delighted that FC Barcelona, the champions of the best competition in the world, will be playing in South Africa. This is a historic event and we are very proud that local fans will get to enjoy the stars and the quality of La Liga close up."

The South African Stadium Management boss, Jacques Grobbelaar announced on Twitter that ticket sales would commence on Thursday morning with prices ranging from (USD) $3.25 to $45 which is R40 to R550.

Kenya: Gor Mahia relishing the Hull City fixture

The most successful football club in the Kenyan Premier League, Gor Mahia, with a record sixteen titles, beat their arch-rivals AFC Leopards, 5-4 on penalties to win the Hull City Challenge and get a chance to face the EFL Championship side. The Gor Mahia coach, Dylan Kerr plans to use the fixture to test his side as they prepare to face 2015 CAF Champions League finalists, USM Alger from Algeria.

Speaking to KweseESPN, Kerr said:

"I am glad that we shall face a tough opponent in Hull City. This is not some small team, but a team which will test us in all aspects. Playing the English side will be a true test for us a few days before we host Algeria's USM Alger in the second Group D match. We are delighted that we defeated AFC Leopards to qualify to face the visiting Hull side.”

Gor Mahia is participating in the 2018 CAF Confederation tournament group stages, pitted against Rayon Sports of Rwanda, USM Alger and Young Africans of Tanzania. They shared the spoils with Rayon Sports in their opening fixture that ended in a 1-1 draw away from home and will be hoping to pick maximum points at Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani when they welcome  The Reds and Blacks (USM Alger). The match will take place on the 16th of May.

Gor Mahia also got a chance to play an English opposition last year when they welcomed Everton who are also sponsored by SportPesa. Gor Mahia lost 2-1 in that fixture in Tanzania with Wayne Rooney scoring a cracker.

Egypt: Salah builds a $450 000 sewage treatment plant

Will we ever stop writing about Mohamed Salah? The ‘Egyptian King’ has done it again, and this time, it’s off the pitch. News has been shared that the Liverpool forward has paid for the construction of a sewage plant in his hometown costing (USD) $450 000. The plant is expected to supply the village with cleaner and fresh water. Mo’s father was reported to be one of the signatories in commissioning the plant.

The Governor of Gharbia, where Salah’s village is situated spoke his mind on the 25-year-old:

"Salah is a role model to be followed by the youth and he is already loved by millions around the world because he draws happiness on their faces. He is also the best ambassador to Egypt in the world for promoting tourism."

Since the Arab Spring Uprising (2010-2012), Egypt has been on the course of rebuilding its political, social and economic structures and Salah has just contributed to that cause. It’s actually not his first philanthropic work having donated $36 000 to the Egyptian Association of Veteran Players in 2017.

The PFA and Football Writers’ Association player of the year, has enjoyed a stellar 2017/18 season where he has smashed numerous Liverpool and EPL records by scoring at least 45 goals. He is expected to win the EPL golden boot and also tipped to help his club to a UEFA Champions League title triumph when they face record holders, Real Madrid at the end of this month.

Juventus wins Coppa Italia 2018

In an old Italian rival clash between Juventus and AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final, three African players made it to the starting XI. Ghanaian midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah was deployed in the left back position for Juventus next to Morrocan defender Mehdi Benatia, while Ivory Coast international, Franck Kessié was at the heart of the midfield for Gattuso’s AC Milan. Asamoah and Kessié were looking to shine in a cup final because that’s all they had to fight for since their national teams failed to qualify to this year’s FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. As it was a final, there could only be one winner at the end of the match and Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus pulled through with a convincing 4-0 win.

The result, however, could not have been predicted after having watched the first period of the match. The Bianconeri were on par with AC Milan as both teams failed to score a single goal even though they both created a few decent chances. The second half saw a mean-looking Juventus side that has been dominating Italy in the past decade. First, it was Miralem Pjanic’s corner that found its way to an unmarked Mehdi Benatia who headed past Gianluigi Donnarumma on the 56th minute. The goalkeeper could not keep out Douglas Costa’s shot from going in just 6 minutes later as his effort bounced off the keeper’s chest before finding its way into the net. Morrocan international Benatia was at hand again to score Juventus’ 3rd goal after Donnarumma dropped it in the box. Pjanic once again delivered a cross that was flicked in by Kalinic to confirm Juventus’ 4-0 against AC Milan in the cup final. Congrats to the Bianconeri!

Sir Alex Ferguson recovering from brain surgery

One of football’s legends and former Manchester United coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, was admitted to the hospital and underwent an emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage. This news came as a shocker to the football world to hear that the former manager who looked in perfect condition recently as he handed Wenger a trophy on Arsenal’s clash against Manchester United was now in intensive care at Salford Royal Hospital.

His former club, Manchester United, released a statement, “Manchester United would like to thank its friends in the wider football world for the countless messages of support that have been conveyed following the news that Sir Alex Ferguson underwent emergency surgery on Saturday evening.”

The club were not alone in sending him warm and touching comments as some players like Lingard, Rooney, Carrick, etc. all had something to say to a man who once managed them at the club. The manager who won 13 Premier League titles at Old Trafford has reported being out of intensive care and is continuing his recovery from the surgery. More information is now coming out about the incident leading to hospitalization which states that the former rival of Arsene Wenger was taken ill after falling at home.

Join us in wishing him a speedy recovery as he continues his rehabilitation in private as requested by his family.

Aubameyang scores but Arsenal’s woes continue

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been nothing short of spectacular since his move from Borussia Dortmund. The Gabon international has come to the English Premier League deemed the most competitive of them all and has already managed to score 9 goals and provide 4 assists in just 10 starts as according to WhoScored. The African player had already done the most in the Germany where he scored 21 goals in all competitions at club level. Combined, the Aubameyang has scored 30 goals in all competitions this season excluding the one goal he scored for his nation in an international friendly game. This deserves so much praise for a player who joined a team in the middle of the season just like some international players like Alexis Sanchez but has still managed to outscore them. Of those goals, one of them came from today’s match between Arsenal and Leicester City.

Iheanacho opened the scoring in the 14th minute. The Nigerian international has not been in the best of form this season unlike his fellow African counterpart Aubameyang as this is only his second goal in the league. Iheanacho was dangerous on the night though as he was clean through on goal before being brought down by young Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos. The Greek defender was shown a red card and Arsenal were short. Arsenal held on until Aubameyang came to the rescue and score in the 53rd minute. Arsenal was level on matters and was looking to pull a comeback but their hopes were shattered by Jamie Vardy’s penalty who scored after Grey was brought down in the box by Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Another African player claimed a stake from the match between the two teams. Algerian born winger Riyad Mahrez scored the 3rd and final goal for Leicester to seal their 3-1 win against Arsenal. Arsenal have not won a single point this year away from home which can be a mental challenge for the players that the incoming Arsenal coach has to deal with in the new season. Wenger has one final chance to win on a note and win points away from in their match against Huddersfield on the 13th of May.

South Africa: Many global dignitaries expected to attend the Sundowns-Barcelona friendly

It is champions versus champions come next week, May 16th, you better mark your calendars. The 2017/18 ABSA Premiership Champions, Mamelodi Sundowns will welcome the Spanish La Liga Champions, Barcelona at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. Will Percy Tau show credentials of playing in Europe’s biggest leagues as suggested by El-Hadji Diouf when he faces his opposite number, Lionel Messi? There is actually a whole lot more than this match is yielding.

The match has been organized as part of the Nelson Mandela Centenary commemoration. The Apartheid icon who passed on in 2013, would have been a 100 years old now. Regional leaders, government officials, and football associations are set to attend the international friendly fixture. Most notably, CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad has already confirmed his attendance and is believed to use the moment to root for Morocco to win the bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup over the joint bid of Canada, Mexico and the United States of America. TimesLive has reported that FIFA President, Gianni Infantino will also be attending the match and could use the opportunity lobby support for his re-election in 2020.

The last time Sundowns and Barcelona clashed in 2007 at Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane, the Catalans were 2-1 victors. Who will be the greatest this time?

World Cup Rush: Kenya Power Company urged not to interrupt broadcasts

Perhaps no region might be preparing as much as Africa, for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals kicking off on the 14th of June and specifically, Kenya. The chairman of Gor Mahia, the most successful team in the Kenyan Premier League history, has challenged the Kenya Power Company to be at their consistent best from 14th June to 15th July so as to avoid interruption in viewing the world’s greatest soccer showcase. Ambrose Rachier spoke from his club in Upper Hill, Nairobi after the Pay-TV channel, StarTimes, confirmed live broadcasting of all the 64 matches.

"StarTimes have done well to offer football fans a cheaper and quality option to watch football on TV and mobile phones. The remaining part is for Kenya Power to do their best and ensure fans watch these games without interruption." - Ambrose Rachier, Gor Mahia Chairman

It is actually a common phenomenon in some African countries, that blackouts occur during periods of the most anticipated football tournaments. At times the reason is beyond power authorities’ assumed maliciousness. This time, Kenya is not taking any chances. They are getting ready!

Although the Harambee stars failed to qualify, the CECAFA affiliated nation will be hoping that the likes of Nigeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, and Morocco will make the continent proud.

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.