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/ 18 October 2007
In the land renowned for its scrumptious pizza and ravioli, Bafana Bafana were forced to eat humble pie in Siena on Wednesday night while losing 2-0 to what was
effectively the Italian B team. While the two headed goals from 32-year-old Ukraine-based Cristiano Lucarelli were a long time in coming, the scoreline, if anything, flattered South Africa.
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/ 17 October 2007
A scathing document detailing in the strongest terms South Africa’s inability to stage the 2010 Soccer World Cup, which supposedly emanated from the Union of European Football Associations (Uefa), was on Tuesday denounced as a forgery by local organising committee CEO Danny Jordaan. ”We have written confirmation of this from Uefa itself,” said Jordaan.
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/ 16 October 2007
Deprived of almost all its major stars, the Italian team to face Bafana Bafana in Siena on Wednesday night will look more like the national B-team line-up than current world champions. Even the inclusion of Paolo Cannavaro in the squad is misleading to the unsuspecting.
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/ 13 October 2007
”Don’t be alarmed,” was the instant, understandable response from Bafana Bafana media officer Sifiso Cele on Friday after he announced that striking kingpin Benni McCarthy would only be joining the squad 48 hours before the game against world champions Italy in Siena on Wednesday.
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/ 11 October 2007
”Enjoy yourself,” was the parting advice of Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira to his 12 locally-based players before leaving OR Tambo Airport on Wednesday night for the challenge against world champions Italy in Siena next Wednesday.
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/ 10 October 2007
Bottom of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) log and booted out of the Telkom Knockout competition in the first round, Orlando Pirates’ woes continued when they were handed an effective R200 000 fine. ”Pirates were fined R150 000 on charges of crowd misbehaviour and bringing the league into disrepute,” PSL general manager Andrew Dipela announced on Tuesday.
A goal of sheer magic and another of clinical precision from Katlego Mphela gave SuperSport United a 2-1 Telkom Knockout win against Santos at a desolate, mainly deserted Athlone Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Apart from the decisive influence of the goal-hungry SuperSport striker, the teams were evenly matched throughout.
Even with a new man at the helm in acclaimed former Platinum Stars coach Owen de Gama, the Orlando Pirates ship continued to flounder at Ellis Park on Wednesday night as the Buccaneers slumped to a 5-4 penalty shoot-out defeat against Benoni Premier United after a dramatic Telkom Knockout game finished 1-1 after extra-time.
It has been described by one newspaper as ”splitting the Premier Soccer League [PSL] down the middle.” But what Finance Minister Trevor Manuel described as ”morally reprehensible” commission payments amounting to hundreds of millions of rands to PSL officials has seemingly united 45-million South Africans in outraged opposition to the professional soccer organisation.
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/ 30 September 2007
Kaizer Chiefs tempted fate and won a blood-and-thunder, error-infested Telkom Knockout game against Moroka Swallows by a 3-1 penalty shoot-out margin after the teams had finished level 2-2 after extra-time at Loftus on Saturday night. In truth, the Amakhosi should have had their place in the quarterfinals signed and sealed in the opening period against an amateurish, out-of-touch Swallows.