The schedule for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 has been officially released.
The 16th edition of the tournament will be jointly hosted by Namibia and Zimbabwe and is set to showcase the wo...
The Springboks were praised by the French media for building depth in their squad over the past few years – and the ability to field “a whole different team from one week to the other” – with assistan...
In a move that has sent ripples of concern through the Mamelodi Sundowns fanbase, the club officially announced the departure of Neo Maema this morning.
The confirmation comes after weeks of speculation and arrives just as the 29-year-old talented midfielder reminded everyone of his immense value with a stellar performance at the ongoing CHAN tournament. Maema’s recent brace against Guinea, which subsequently earned him man-of-the-match honours, served as a poignant final act in the yellow and blue.
The creative midfielder’s ability to link up play and produce moments of magic is undeniable, making his exit a difficult pill for many to swallow.
Over his four-year stint at the club, Maema made 120 appearances, scoring 14 goals and providing 14 assists. His time at Sundowns was highly successful, contributing to four league titles, a Nedbank Cup, an MTN 8 trophy, and an African Football League title.
The news of Maema’s exit closely followed the official announcement of the departure of Thembinkosi Lorch on Thursday. Lorch, who spent the last season on loan with Moroccan club Wydad AC, is also a confirmed exit.
This brings the total number of players certainly leaving the club to four, including the rumoured departures of star forward Lucas Ribeiro and fan-favourite right-back Khuliso Mudau.
While the club’s stated goal of "downsizing" is understandable given their large and talented roster, the timing and execution of these moves are a cause for concern. Sundowns’ consistently congested schedule, which included the recent 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, highlights the need for a large and deep squad to combat player fatigue and maintain momentum across all competitions.
The uncalculated disposal of players of Maema and Lorch’s calibre, just as they demonstrate their class on an international stage, feels like a significant gamble. In an era where the Brazilians have set the standard for domestic football, the departure of core players could signal a shift, and fans will be watching closely to see if the new-look squad can maintain the same level of excellence.
Jaisen Clifford scored in added time to give Marumo Gallants a shock 2-1 victory over Orlando Pirates on Tuesday, which took the Bloemfontein club to the top of the South African Premiership.
Jaisen Clifford scored in added time to give Marumo Gallants a shock 2-1 victory over Orlando Pirates on Tuesday, which took the Bloemfontein club to the top of the South African Premiership.
The substitute poked a cross past goalkeeper Sipho Chaine and home supporters in a capacity 15,000 crowd erupted with joy at the unexpected second-round triumph.
Pirates, reeling from a home loss to Sekhukhune United at the weekend, led after 16 minutes when Patrick Maswanganyi sidefooted a cross past veteran Zimbabwe goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
Marumo avoided falling further behind when under severe pressure and levelled just before half-time when another Zimbabwean, Daniel Msendami, fired home from close range.
Pirates seemed the likelier winners for much of the second half as they attacked relentlessly, only for Clifford to strike and leave the Buccaneers pointless from two outings.
Marumo are coached by Alexandre Lafitte from France, 28, the youngest coach in the Premiership this season.
"We played good football and achieved a good result. I have worked hard to improve the mentality of the players," he said.
Moroccan coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, a former Premier League defender with Fulham, joined Pirates during the close season after quitting Marumo.
Marumo have six points, two more than defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who beat AmaZulu 2-0 in Pretoria through second-half goals from Iqraam Rayners and Tashreeq Matthews.
Sundowns, who began their campaign with a draw at Chippa United three days ago, are chasing a record-extending ninth straight league title.
A notable absentee from the Sundowns line-up was Brazilian forward Lucas Ribeiro, who was voted the 2024-25 South African player of the season and players' player of the season.
He is reportedly keen to take up a new challenge after two seasons at Sundowns, with Qatar Sports Club a possible destination.
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News
Players at the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup will sport high-tech mouthguards that light up red when they suffer heavy head impacts, in a move aimed at improving player safety and reducing concussion, British media reported.
The smart gumshields will send an alert to the match-day doctor warning of possible concussions during the August 22 to September 27 tournament in England, while referees will be advised to stop play upon seeing the red flash.
The LED mouthguards are set to be implemented in top-flight rugby next season following the Women’s Rugby World Cup, British media reported.
The technology builds on World Rugby’s introduction of smart mouthguards as part of the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) process in October 2023, which debuted in the WXV women’s competition that year before being integrated into the HIA from January 2024.
“If you want to be involved in the off-field assessment, you need to be wearing the mouthguard, so there are male players who opt out of getting an off-field HIA because they don’t want to wear an instrumented mouthguard,” Dr Eanna Falvey, chief medical officer at World Rugby, was quoted as saying by The Times.
“We’ve had players who decided that they don’t like the fact that it’s a Bluetooth device, we’ve had players that feel it’s uncomfortable, we’ve had players who don’t want to know.
“The women’s leagues and teams and competitions, I don’t know the reason for it, but they’re much more likely to collaborate, they’re much more accepting and excited about opportunities in technology.
“We have full opt-in for the World Cup now. There are two people wearing braces so they physically can’t wear it, but other than that we’re full opt-in.”
A brilliant display of tactical acumen by South African coach Benni McCarthy saw Kenya's Harambee Stars secure a historic 1-0 victory against two-time champions Morocco in a thrilling African Nations Championship (CHAN) match.
The win, which puts Kenya in a strong position to advance to the knockout stages, was a masterclass in coaching by McCarthy, who took the helm of the Kenyan national team earlier this year.
McCarthy definitely proved his credentials on the international stage by applying a relentless, aggressive approach that unsettled the Moroccans. The crucial moment of the game came just before halftime when Ryan Ogam found the back of the net, giving Kenya a lead they would not relinquish up until the end of this nailbiting continental duel.
However, the true test of McCarthy's genius came after a first-half red card left Kenya with only ten men for the entire second half.
Instead of wilting under Morocco's unrelenting pressure, McCarthy's side displayed remarkable discipline and resilience. He quickly reshuffled his team, bringing on extra defenders to clearly "park the bus" -a blatant defensive tactic reminiscent of his playing days under José Mourinho at Portugal outfit FC Porto.
The defense indeed held firm and every Kenyan player fought for every ball. Harambee Stars’ gritty determination ultimately frustrated the Moroccan attack.
This monumental win not only elevates Kenya on the continental stage, but also serves as a powerful testament to the growing coaching capacity of South African tacticians abroad.
McCarthy's success in the international fray, following his impressive stints at AmaZulu and Cape Town City, demonstrates that coaches from the region can deliver results at the highest level. Kenya will now face Zambia next Sunday at 19:00 in their next CHAN tournament.
Siwelele FC made a powerful start in their historic Betway Premier League debut match as they beat Lamontville Golden Arrows 3–1 to set the pace at the top of the premiership table.
The Dr. Rantlai Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein was packed to the rafters by supporters of the Green and White, who got a perfect glimpse of what their team is all about in 2025/2026 league campaign.
From the first whistle to the last, Siwelele gave their fans plenty to cheer about, as put on a dominant performace that saw Siviwe Magidigidi score a brace while Vincent Pule netting a single goal to wrap a historic victory on home turf.
Magidigidi opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a thundering top of the net close finish, with Pule doubling Siwelele's lead a few minutes later to send their supporters into a huge frenzy.
Siwelele dominated the first half, putting constant pressure on Arrows who struggled to keep possession of the ball. The visitors, however, came back stronger in beginning stages of the second stanza with Keenan Phillips pulling one back for Abafana Besthende in the 50th minute.
Siwelele’s fighting spirit remained as Magidigidi's header found the back of the net six minutes later from a corner kick.
Magidigidi's brace was enough to seal the game and give Siwelele all three points in Bloemfontein, with the striker ultimately claiming the Man of the Match accolade.
Siwelele will hope to notch up their second win on the trot when they face fellow debutants, Orbit College, away on Tuesday evening at Dobsonvile Stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg. The match will kick-off at 19:30.
Premier Soccer League (PSL) entrants Siwelele FC officially unveiled their new kit and player acquisitions in front of their loyal supporters in Bloemfontein ahead of their opening fixture this Saturday. For their home games, the team will don green shorts paired with a shirt featuring green vertical stripes. In contrast, for away games, the team will wear black shorts accompanied by a shirt with green and white horizontal stripes in front. The club further announced the signings of four new players ahead of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season. The new signings include Bu hle Mkhwanazi, a veteran centre-back and former Bafana Bafana defender, Relebogile Mokhuoane, a central midfielder joining from Sekhukhune Unit ed, Thabo Makhele, who joins from Chippa United, and Wayde Lekay, a striker returning to South Africa after playing for Churchill Brothers in India. Drawing from the passion Siwelele fans are re nowned for Pule Mabena, Siwelele FC supporter’s chairperson, humorously warned the new players to not lose a game against Kaizer Chiefs – given the Soweto giants’ underwhelming league perfor mance over the past decade. Bloem Duo Set to Shine Internationally “Players, there is one team in the PSL that you are not supposed to lose against, that is Kaizer Chiefs, if you lose against them, you won’t get out of the stadium but exercise the whole night,” said Mabena at the Siwelele Homecoming launch at Hoffman Square. The 2025/2026 season promises to be a season to be remembered especially for North West and Free State football enthusiasts following the promotion of Orbit College and the acquisition of SuperSport United’s PSL status by Siwelele FC. The Mswenko Boys promotion into the PSL gave the North West province a team in the topflight since Platinum Stars in the 2017/2018 football season. The Limpopo derby between Polokwane City and Magesi FC will get the league off the mark at the Old Peter Mokaba stadium, while the defending champions, Mamelodi Sundowns will kick off the season away to Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Amazulu will welcome the Orbit Col lege at the Moses Mabhida in Durban, as their Kwazulu-Natal provincial rivals Richards Bay will be hoping to redeem themselves when they go up against Marumo Gallants after their 4-0 ham mering by Sundowns in the MTN 8 last weekend. All the games will kick off at 15:00. Orlando Pirates will welcome Se khukhune United at Orlando Stadium before Siwelele and Golden Arrows wrap up the day with what promises to be a league opening thriller at the Dr Molemela Stadium in Bloemfon tein. The Siwelele supporters are ex pected to paint the match venue in green and white. On Sunday, the two matches will wrap up the opening round weekend f ixtures with TS Galaxy locking horns with NFD champions and PSL debutants Durban City at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. The other fixture will see Stellenbosch FC welcome reigning Nedbank Cup champions, Kaizer Chiefs, who will be hoping to stage a much better league campaign this season. On Tuesday, Bloemfontein will be abuzz again with football action as Marumo Gallants welcome Orlando Pirates at the Dr Molemela Stadium. The game is expected to produce fireworks as Abdeslam Ouaddou returns to Bloemfontein to face his former employer in Gallants. This fixture will kick off at 19:30.
The Betway Premiership season opener between Stellenbosch FC and Kaizer Chiefs has been relocated to Athlone Stadium, with Chiefs aiming to strengthen their squad to compete with top teams like Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Wednesday confirmed a venue change for the Betway Premiership season opener, between hosts Stellenbosch FC and Kaizer Chiefs over the weekend.
The clash on Sunday was initially scheduled to take place at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, but has now been moved inland to Athlone Stadium.
Stellies already began their new campaign as they took part in the MTN8 quarter-final season opener last weekend.
Steve Barker’s men held their nerve for a 3-2 extra time victory over AmaZulu at DHL Stadium.
Chiefs Miss Out on Competition: Failing to Qualify for the Second Consecutive Season
Meanwhile, Chiefs were not involved in the competition as they failed to qualify after finishing outside the top eight in the league for a second season in a row.
Chiefs have also made a number of new signings in Ethan Chislett, Nkanyiso Shinga, Flavio Silva, Thabiso Monyane, Paseka Mako and Siphesihle Ndlovu.
This could be an important step for Chiefs if they seriously want to compete with their Soweto Derby rivals Orlando Pirates and the reigning Betway Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
Former Chiefs forward Justice Sithole said: “You need to have quality players who understand the team if you really want to compete for major trophies.
“I think that at the moment, after the Nedbank Cup final, Chiefs can take it from there and move forward.”
It’s also Nasreddine Nabi’s second season in charge as Chiefs coach, and now that he has settled into the role and clearly has the backing of the club, he has all the ingredients he needs to ‘start cooking’.
