Kick Off March 2022

The Intercontinental Cup between the European club champions and their South American counterparts, which was played between 1960 and 2004, created this notion that it was a match that decided‘who was the best football club in the world’. Notwithstanding the success of European clubs like Real Madrid and AC Milan – Santos and Sao Paolo in the CONMEBOL (South American Football Federation) – the truth is football was and is still far bigger than just Europe and South America. And even though all the World Cups have been won by European and South American countries, it is fair that all countries and teams are given equal opportunities to win competitions. While Europeans and South Americans played in the Intercontinental Cup, later renamed Toyota Cup, CAF Champions League winners and Asian…

KICK OFF To air your views, email your letters to forum@kickoff.com The views expressed in the letters published do not reflect the views of KICK OFF magazine, its editor or publisher. The editor reserves the right to edit and shorten letters. Letters shorter than 200 words will be given preference. Please note there are no prizes for star letters at this time. Ghana hurtus There is nothing sweeter than laughing last. Let me take this opportunity to express my feelings towards the Ghana Football Association. You hurt us when we were protesting against the match official [referee Maguette N’Diaye] not Ghana Football Association. You called us names for the world to see us as feebleminded people. You disrespected us. Remember when the match official gave a dubious penalty against Senegal,…

GOOD MONTH FOR … MAMELODI SUNDOWNS BAD MONTH FOR … FAN SAFETY ALSO LAST MONTH… Mamelodi Sundowns part ways with long-serving Brazilian centre-back Ricardo Nascimento, who is sacrificed to create a foreigner slot for Bolivian import Erwin Saavedra. Cape Town City forward Fagrie Lakay moves to the Egyptian Premier League, where he signs for Pyramids FC. City sign Venezuelan Darwin Gonzalez as his replacement. Swallows defender Thabo Matlaba completes a move to Royal AM, who also sign Mxolisi Macuphu, Marlon Heugh and Shaun Mohaila from TS Galaxy. Roger de Sa receives a four-match touchline ban for his role in the fracas after Egypt’s quarterfinal victory over Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations. Cape Town City FC sign Cameroon midfielder Brice Ambina on a three-and-ahalf-year deal. Stellenbosch sign Venezuelan forward…

If anything, Itumeleng Khune’s predicament and his fall down the pecking order in the Kaizer Chiefs’ goalkeeping department has raised more questions than answers with the decorated keeper exiled to the stands. Bar one appearance in the MTN8 quarterfinals, where he conceded two goals against Mamelodi Sundowns, the 34-year-old goalminder did not feature for Amakhosi in the first half of the campaign. The only appearance he made was during the DStv Compact Cup. The closest he got to playing in the DStv Premiership was a rare place on the bench during a 2-1 win over Baroka FC at FNB Stadium on August 25. Since then, the Chiefs captain has been missing with Daniel Akpeyi, Bruce Bvuma and Brandon Petersen preferred ahead of him. Khune’s drastic plunge from the goalkeeping summit…

A few weeks before the Africa Cup of Nations finals kicked off in Cameroon, Malawi international Gabadinho Mhango was going through a crisis at his club Orlando Pirates. The attacking player had endured a horrible opening half to the season without a goal to his name through the 150 minutes that he played after making only six appearances. Through that time, he had also found the tabloids feasting on him after an incident at a nightclub in Pretoria when he was filmed in a company of a few ladies. Without goals at his club and not enough minutes during a period in which went 12 games without playing, he was dropped from the Malawi national team as they wrapped up their failed World Cup qualification campaign in November. “FOR ME,…

KICK OFF: How is the injury recovery process coming along? Lebohang Maboe: I’m moving close to the final stages of my rehabilitation, and I’m working tirelessly. I am close to getting involved in a friendly to have a feel of how far I am. I don’t think I’m far off from the last stage of my rehab. There is hope that I will be available for selection before the end of the season. From averaging 42 appearances in your first three seasons at Mamelodi Sundowns to having to deal with a knee injury that is now threatening to keep you out for almost the whole campaign. How are you digesting all of this? “IT IS MENTALLY DRAINING TO KEEP YOURSELF MOTIVATED THE WHOLE TIME.” I have had a lot of…