The hotly contested local rivalry in South African football comes to a head at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates lock horns in the thrilling Soweto Derby. To commemorate this showcase fixture Nike has launched a special Kaizer Chiefs “Chiefs of Soweto” limited edition t-shirt as an opportunity to show support during this traditional sporting moment on the South African football calendar.

“The “Chiefs of Soweto” limited edition t-shirt forms part of the Kaizer Chiefs 40th Anniversary celebration and pays homage to the Amakoshi and its legends that have contributed to making the Soweto Derby one of the most intense and passionate events in South Africa,” says Anwar Jappie, Football Category Director for Nike South Africa. “As a brand we strive to add excitement around key sporting moments and we hope this t-shirt will assist supporters to really connect with their team this weekend.”

Kaizer Chiefs FC captain, Jimmy Tau

The t-shirt was locally designed by Amicollective, a Cape-based studio specialising in design, illustration, animation and fine art.  The limited edition t-shirt is a collaborative effort where the designers chose to use a hand drawn approach with thick outlines in black to emulate the way Kaizer Chiefs fans hand manufacture their fan gear. It was vital for the design team to give the artwork a human quality that fans could relate to.

“The brief from Nike was very clear with a firm focus on the Kaizer Chiefs supporter,” says Kris Hewitt, also known as Kronk, Designer, Amicollective. “This is a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly, as football fans are not easily fooled and are very knowledgeable about their club. We definitely looked to the fans for inspiration, as Chiefs fans are amongst the most vibrant and well costumed fans around. Their slogans and handmade approach to their supporter gear was incredibly inspiring. This shirt is meant to confront the Orlando Pirates supporters in and out of the stadium, to show the pride and heritage of Kaizer Chiefs and pay homage to the loyalty of the Kaizer Chiefs fans.”

The 10th anniversary of the Vodacom Challenge will be further enriched this week with the arrival of three more superstars into the Manchester City camp ahead of the final at Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane on Saturday.

First team regular Nedum Onuoha will join his teammates in South Africa on Monday followed by new signing, striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who touches down on Tuesday following the completion of his transfer from English Premiership rivals Arsenal on Saturday.

The Togo international will jet in too late to take part in Tuesday’s match against Kaizer Chiefs at the Absa Stadium in Durban, but will be available for the final against the winner of Thursday’s Soweto Derby between Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. Continue Reading

Paraguayan international striker Roque Santa Cruz who has recently signed for Manchester City will display his aerial power and physical presence against Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs in the 10th anniversary of the Vodacom Challenge in SA from July 18-25.

27 year old Santa Cruz spent seven years with German Bundasliga side Bayern Munich after which he moved to Blackburn Rovers, where he netted 23 goals in 43 league and cup appearances to be known as one of the shrewdest players of the season.

Santa Cruz, who is at his most brilliant in the attacking position, will play along side the likes of Irish midfielder Stephen Ireland (9 league goals this season), Wales international striker Craig Bellamy (8 league goals this season) and England international forward Shaun Wright-Phillips (5 league goals this season).

Manchester City has also recently acquired the skills of England international midfielder Gareth Barry from Aston Villa (where he made 440 appearances).
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New Kaizer Chiefs coach Vladimir Vermezovic has set his sights on the ultimate win in SA soccer!

Victory over Orlando Pirates in the Vodacom Challenge Soweto Derby at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Thursday, July 23 (20h15 kickoff), will not only guarantee his team a place in the 10th anniversary grand finale of the world-class club tournament against Manchester City, but will also see him get his SA coaching career off to a great start with the passionate Kaizer Chiefs supporters.

“Friendly games don’t get played anymore, and in this era of professional soccer, every game is a must-win,” said Vermezovic, who is from Serbia.

“Playing against one of the world’s richest clubs in Durban on Tuesday, July 21 will be a tremendous honour for me as well as my players, but at the end of the day, Orlando Pirates, in sporting terms, is our age old rival and it is a result that must come our way.”

“The Vodacom Challenge matches will also outline the way in which the players respond to my style of soccer strategies and I am really looking forward to the tournament.” Continue Reading

Orlando Pirates players can’t wait to lace up their boots for the 10th anniversary of the Vodacom Challenge against Manchester City, at the Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane, on Saturday, July 18 (15h00 kickoff).

Teko Modise said: “Manchester City is a class side. We have been watching Robinho play since his days in Santos, Brazil and this talented player can do almost anything with the ball. They have other fine players too including Shaun Wright Phillips who has lots of pace. But we also have skilful players like Katlego Mashego, Benson Mhlongo and Dikgang ‘Terminator’ Mabalane.  If we are committed enough on the day, we can win.”

“Manchester City plays a fast game but so do we. As for my free kicks, I am putting a lot of extra training into them and in the new season I am going to try and get even better and hopefully become the best free kick taker in SA.”

“Ruthless” is how Katlego Mashego described his approach to the goal-scoring chances that will come his way against Manchester City.

“We probably won’t get as many goal-scoring chances against Manchester City as we would get in a local league match so we need to be ruthless in our approach to scoring, but the English club have some fine players and I am really looking forward to the challenge of playing against them,” said Mashego.

Benson Mhlongo has made the Orlando Pirates centre midfield his own since arriving from Mamelodi Sundowns at the start of the 2008/2009 season, and is eager to help his club put in a good showing against The Blues. Continue Reading

Witbank now have a Premier Soccer League team in Mpumalanga Black Aces but unfortunately there are problems regarding the use of premier stadium in that city, the Witbank Stadium, otherwise known as the Johan Van Riebeeck Stadium.

The cause of all the problems is the Pumas Rugby Union’s unwillingness to share this facility which is actually owned by the Emalahleni Municipality. The Pumas are leasing it for R150 (this is no typo) – I repeat R150 per month. Continue Reading

Former Manchester City midfielder, South African-born Colin Viljoen, expects Manchester City to be a highly competitive team and good value for money to watch, when they join Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs in the 10th anniversary edition of the Vodacom Challenge from 18 – 25 July.

Viljoen, who played 38 times for the English club as a midfielder from 1978-1980, as well as three times for the England international team, said: “The people from the North West of England are a friendly bunch but highly spirited when it comes to football. Mark Hughes has been manager of Manchester City for a year now and I am sure that the squad is beginning to understand his vision for the game. With players like Robinho, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Craig Bellamy and recently-signed England international midfielder Gareth Barry, I am sure that local fans will be in for a treat when the club takes on Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.” Continue Reading

The official opening of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 has silenced a lot of critics over whether or not South Africa is capable of successfully hosting an event like the World Cup. The opening ceremony presented an image of South Africa that will sell South Africa to any doubting Thomas.

Congratulations to Lebo M – he of ‘The Lion King’ fame – for putting on a truly magnificent opening show with a very uniquely African theme. The singers coming out of the hut at the centre of the pitch was an absolute winner for me with everything revolving around the ‘home’. This show could not happen anywhere else but Africa. Although it was African in look and feel it used universal devices for expression such as the beautiful mosaics that were created by the performers. Continue Reading

Orlando Pirates is one an icon of South African, and I dare say, African soccer being a past winner of the CAF African Club Champions Cup. I would venture to estimate the club to be valued in the hundreds of millions and definitely supported by millions of people.

My question is who did Irvin “The Iron Duke” Khoza buy the club from in the first place. Up until the Iron Duke’s investigation for non-payment of tax everyone had assumed that Pirates was a community club that was essentially owned by the members. I was shocked when the media reported that the South African Revenue Services was investigating, among many business entities owned by the Iron Duke, a company called Orlando Pirates FC (Pty) Ltd – a company which he is the sole owner. Continue Reading

Kaizer Motaung has not yet communicated his rationale behind the appointment of his club’s new Head Coach to the press Continue Reading