Author: ongcwabe

If there was any team that needed a boost in the Gauteng Development League (GDL) heading into the weekend, it was coach Surprise Moriri‘s Mamelodi Sundowns u19 side.

SuperSport Schools Plus has documented the story of their fall from the top of the log. After a dominant start to the season, they were leapfrogged by Kaizer Chiefs, who were subsequently passed by the defending champions, Highlands Park, who rose to summit, after a magnificent run of results.

Rained-out games have cost the Brazilians, but, most of all, their success has undermined their campaign as many of their players have graduated into the professional ranks, turning out for Sundowns’ in the DStv Diski Challenge and the top-flight Premier Soccer League.

With a smile on his face, Moriri took the setbacks on the chin, celebrating his players’ progress from the development ranks while working with a new set of youngsters in an attempt to steady the club’s GDL challenge.

On the weekend, the coach received a major boost as the prolific striker Kamva Moni netted a hattrick against Panorama FC at Clapham High. That excellent return ensured that ‘Downs came away with a 3-2 victory despite strong resistance from Panorama.

In their previous outing, Moni netted the only goal of the contest as the Pretoria club claimed maximum points from Remember Elite Sport Academy at President Park.

Those two victories have lifted Sundowns to within seven points of the ‘The Lions of the North” at the top of the standings, and they have two games in hand.

Highlands Park, meanwhile, hammered Sevens Academy 5-2, while Kaizer Chiefs outlasted a stubborn Remember Elite Sport Academy, recording a 3-2 win.

Jomo Cosmos beat Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School 2-1, SuperSport United thrashed Wits Junior 7-1, and the School of Excellence handed Joburg City a 4-2 defeat.

Kathorus Hyper Academy and Randburg AFC shared a 1-1 draw, while NWU Vaal and the East Rand Athletic Club also had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

RESULTS

Mamelodi Sundowns 3-2 Panorama FC
Kaizer Chiefs 3-2 Remember Elite Sport Academy
Jomo Cosmos 2-1 Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School
Kathorus Hyper Academy 1-1 Randburg AFC
North-West University Vaal 1-1 East Rand Athletic Club
TS Galaxy 2-0 Tuks
Highlands Park 5-2 Sevens Academy
Wits Junior 1-7 SuperSport United
Joburg City FC 2-4 School of Excellence

In combat sports, the saying goes that “champions reveal themselves in the championship rounds” and this axiom feels appropriate when viewing the state of the u19 division of the Gauteng Development League.

After 23 weeks of action, during which Mamelodi Sundowns and, then, Kaizer Chiefs dominated at the top of the standings for extended periods, Highlands Park has leapfrogged their big-name title contenders to take over at the top of the log.

Early in the season, the defending champions struggled, but they’ve worked their way into form and are playing their best football when it matters most – during the championship rounds.

“The Lions of the North” thrashed a struggling Wits Junior side 5-0 at Balfour Park on the weekend to vault into first place for a first time this season.

Chiefs also won, beating coach Tumelo Ndaba‘s SuperSport United outfit in a high-scoring, high-intensity match-up at Naturena Village.

Despite Chiefs’ 4-2 victory over the Tshwane-based unit, they still slid one spot, finishing matchday 23 one point in arrears of Highlands Park.

Sundowns have endured a difficult spell, which has included defeats against Sevens Academy and SuperSport United. They tackled the School of Excellence at Clapham High School, intent on righting their ship.

Naledi Kgobe netted for the Brazilians in the first half and Inga Chawula struck in the second stanza, but the game was not completed. It came to a sudden stop when the School of Excellence walked off the field, citing grievances with the match officials. Just how the matter will be resolved remains to be seen,

In other results, Tuks beat Joburg City 2-1 away from home, Jomo Cosmos and TS Galaxy drew 2-2, while Sevens Academy beat Kathorus Hyper Academy 1-0.

NWU Vaal FC ran out 3-0 winners over Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School, Remember Elite Sport Academy recorded a 2-1 win over Panorama, and Randburg AFC and  East Rand Athletic Club settled for a goalless draw.

RESULTS

Highlands Park vs Wits Junior (5-0)
Joburg City vs TUKS (1-2)
Jomo Cosmos vs TS Galaxy (2-2)
Kaizer Chiefs vs SuperSport United (4-2)
Kathorus Hyper Academy vs Sevens Academy (0-1)
NWU Vaal FC vs Rosina Sedibane Modiba SS (3-0)
Panorama FC vs Remember Elite Sports Academy (1-2)
Randburg AFC vs East Rand Athletic Club (0-0)
Mamelodi Sundowns vs School of Exccellence (Match did not finish)

The South African u17 Men’s National Team, Amajimbos, will kick off their campaign at the Fifa Talent Scheme (TDS) Tournament against Algeria on Tuesday at Stade Municipal de Bingerville in Côte d’Ivoire.

It will be the first meeting of the junior men’s national teams, and it promises to be an exciting and educational north versus south clash.

Speaking to www.safa.net, Amajimbos’ Head Coach Vela Khumalo said on the eve of the match that he was looking forward to the clash, and to see how far his players have progressed since their recent friendly matches against Lesotho.

“It is always a learning process to play against  North African sides, and we want to see what Algeria will bring to us, and how best we will deal with that,” he said.

“It will be more exciting for me to see if our players have taken feedback from our last camp a few weeks ago and rectified the things we have spoken about during match analysis sessions.

“We are also looking forward to trying out new combinations as we continue to build this team.”

The match between South Africa and Algeria kicks off at 16:30 local time.

The South African u17 Men’s National Team, Amajimbos, departed for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Saturday morning ahead of their fourth international match as they continue their preparations for the 2024 Cosafa Championships, to be played in December.

Amajimbos will compete in a Fifa Six Nations Talent Development Scheme (TDS) tournament in the West African country. The scheme is the brainchild of football’s world governing body, which introduced it as a way to expose junior players to international football at a young age to help fast-track their development.

South Africa will play three international friendlies during their week-long stay in Cote D’Ivoire. Their opening match of the tournament, against Algeria, takes place on 3 September. Two days later, on 5 September, they go up against Zambia. Their last outing is on 7 September, when they tackle Morocco.

Head Coach Vela Khumalo said Amjimbos’ aim is to qualify for the 2025 Fifa U17 Men’s World Cup, and they’re taking every opportunity provided to them to prepare as best they can.

Amajimbos last played two weeks ago in South Africa when they faced Lesotho in two practice matches. They beat their neighbours 4-0 and 3-1 respectively.

Prior to that, the u17 national team played two international friendlies earlier this year in Colombia.

Ten more rounds remain in the Gauteng Development League and Tshwane is well-represented near the top of the log standings of the under-19 division with Mamelodi Sundowns (3rd place) and SuperSport United (4th place) still in contention for the 2024 honours.

While Sundowns has slipped from the top spot, SuperSport United has steadily climbed the ladder and moved into the top five of the standings.

Last season, Matsatsantsa posted 16 victories in 34 matches. This season, after 25 games, they’ve already collected 12 wins.

Their most notable result was in their most recent outing, a 4-0 thrashing of their neighbours, Mamelodi Sundowns, in the Tshwane derby.

The man behind the success of the young team is coach Tumelo Ndaba, who masterminded their title-winning run in the GDL Top Eight at the beginning of the year.

Ndaba, in an exclusive interview with SuperSport Schools Plus, said their victory over Sundowns had a lot to do with his players’ hunger to do well against their formidable neighbours.

Also, the fact that the fixture was played at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, where the SuperSport United senior team plays its Premier Soccer League games, provided the players with added motivation to conquer the Brazilians.

“Playing at Lucas Moripe,  that in itself was a big motivation factor,” Ndaba said. “When you’re playing Sundowns, you don’t need to motivate the players much because my boys are friends with the Sundowns boys – obviously because we are in the same city, so they want to do well against their peers.

“Playing against Sundowns is a test. We get to gauge where we are as an academy. We get to test the development of our players, the mentality and technical aspects.

“That fixture tells us how far we are in terms of our internal goals, not only as an under-19 team but as an academy, because what happens at the top usually reflects what is happening in the lower divisions,” he added. 

At the core of Ndaba’s philosophy, which has helped United maintain its reputation as a talent factory in the South African football space, is effectiveness. It’s something he demands in all aspects of the game.

The SuperSport United coach wants his players to play in a way that leads to goals, victories and trophies, and not worry too much about entertaining the crowds in attendance.

It’s an unusual viewpoint in South African football, with many local coaches focussing heavily on the entertainment factor, which has, for decades, been at the centre of the culture of South African football. Ndaba believes United’s focus has played an important role in the team’s success.

“I need players that have good character, players who are strong mentally,” Ndaba said. “My boys must be comfortable on the ball and able to dominate possession constructively, which means you must be effective as a player.   

“You must be able to create goals, stop them, and assist the forwards if you are playing in the midfield. I’m looking for effective players more than players who are playing for the crowd.”  

This week, Ndaba has the log leaders in his sights as he takes his SuperSport United side to Naturena for a showdown with the Soweto giants, Kaizer Chiefs.

Ndaba wants his players to reflect on their victory over Sundowns and to give their all against Chiefs. “Playing against Chiefs is something else, especially when you have played Sundowns the week prior,” the coach admitted.

“We are going in with the same mentality that we had against Sundowns. We have to win each and every game that we play, no matter what, especially at the under-19 level because that’s where their futures will be decided in terms of whether or not they will make it in football.

“We want to do well when we go to Naturena. Chiefs are a good team and are very competitive. They won the Engen Knockout, which simply means they are playing well at the moment.

“I want my boys to do their best like they did in our last game.

“There’s the SuperSport Schools app now, which also helps them to go back to their past performances and review them, and look to improve. Before we never had that luxury,” he concluded. 

Under 19 Fixtures

Kaizer Chiefs vs SuperSport United
Randburg AFC vs East Rand Athletic Club
Panorama FC vs Remember Elite Sport Academy
NWU Vaal FC vs Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School
Mamelodi Sundowns vs School of Excellence
Kathorus Hyper Academy vs Sevens Academy
Jomo Cosmos vs TS Galaxy
Joburg City vs Tuks
Highlands Park vs Wits Junior

When a team that carries standards as high as those of the Pretoria-based Mamelodi Sundowns suddenly and swiftly slips down the Gauteng Development League (GDL) log standings, concerns arise within the footballing fraternity.

There are whispers in the stands and questions asked. Could it be complacency that has seen them dominate the first half of the league only to slip at the business end of the competition?

However, those with an eye for detail would have noticed that Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach, Surprise Moriri, has been fielding a team that looks entirely different to the one that took to the field at the beginning of the year.

In an exclusive interview with SuperSport Schools Plus, Moriri opened up about his team and the reason behind the new personnel in the starting lineup.

“If you look at the team from the beginning of the season until the June-to-July period, it was doing very well. I’m not necessarily talking in terms of the position on the log but in terms of the product on the field,” Moriri said.

“As a coach, that’s what you want to see players do. The way that we defended was superb, conceding few goals and scoring a lot of goals. All of that contributed to us being consistent, and I must say that the boys have been working very hard.

“We have about eight or 10 players who are training with the iDiski Challenge team as they try to see whether they can come up with a team that can represent us in the iDiski Challenge. That’s why you see now in our GDL team we have only a few remaining out-and-out u19 players, with a blend of u17 players making up the team,” he explained.

Despite seeing his side slip to third in the table, Moriri emphasised that he is still content with the efforts of his players.

The coach insisted that his main job as a development coach is to produce players for the senior teams and that’s where his focus remains.

“As a development coach, you always want to see your players going to the next level. When I see most of our u19 players going into the iDiski team since the main iDiski players have been called up to the senior team, this is something that we want to see,” he said.

“For me, I’m content with how things are going so far. As a coach, if you start moaning about not having players for the GDL because players are at iDiski then you are the wrong path because that would be about you as a coach wanting to win the GDL.

“You cannot prioritise the GDL at the expense of these young players. These players want to go to the next level and that’s what we want to help them achieve,” he added.

This week, Moriri and his troops will be involved in one of the country’s fiercest rivalries, the Tshwane Derby, when they take on SuperSport United at Eskom Megawatt Park on Sunday.

Moriri says ‘Downs are not underestimating SuperSport United despite having beaten them in the first round of fixtures.

“We don’t take them lightly because it’s going to be a very interesting game. Remember, in the first leg we beat them at home, so they will also be looking to get revenge,” he said.

“We need to make sure that we assemble a team that will compete. It’s a derby and there’s bragging rights on the line,” he concluded.

FIXTURES

Saturday, 24 August

East Rand Athletic Club vs Remember Elite Sports Academy (Tsakane Stadium)
Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School vs Randburg AFC (RSMSS)
School of Excellence vs Panorama FC (Elandsfontein)
Sevens Academy vs NWU Vaal (Woodlands International College)
TS Galaxy vs Kathorus Hyper (Marks Park)
TUKS vs Kaizer Chiefs (TUKS Sports Fields)
Wits Junior vs Jomo Cosmos (Marks Park)
Highlands Park vs Joburg City (Balfour Park)

Sunday, 25 August

SuperSport United vs Mamelodi Sundowns (Eskom Megawatt Park)

In IsiXhosa there’s an ancient precept, ‘Ungakhwazi ungekaphumi ehlathini’, which means it is unwise to celebrate prematurely.

Perhaps this saying best describes the type of campaign that the Mamelodi Sundowns u19 team has had in the Gauteng Development League (GDL).

The Tshwane-based unit’s fan base and its players might have celebrated a touch too early when they were sitting pretty at the top of the standings, unbeaten in 17 games and with only 16 matches left in the season.

Four weeks later, Sundowns lie third after being leapfrogged by Kaizer Chiefs (1st place) and, more recently, by Highlands Park (2nd place).

However, that slide is not all their own doing. A run of postponed fixtures, including last week’s outing against Tuks, and a loss to Sevens Academy, when they last played, has led to a loss of momentum.

While ‘Downs have slipped down the standings, Highlands Park, slowly but surely, have climbed the ladder.

The “Lions of the North” have had a season whose story has been similar to that of Sundowns, except it has happened in reverse. They had a slow and poor start to their campaign but are now peaking at the right time, at the business end of the competition.

On the weekend, Highlands Park beat Kaizer Chiefs 3-2 away from home to move into second place on the log, only three points behind the Amakhosi and with two games in hand. They’re now well positioned to successfully defend the title they won so impressively in 2023.

In other fixtures, Kathorus Hyper Academy and Panorama FC had to settle for goalless draws against Wits Junior and SuperSport United, respectively.

Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School beat East Rand Athletic Club 2-1, Jomo Cosmos scored a 1-0 win over Joburg City, and Randburg AFC and Sevens Academy tied 2-2.

RESULTS

Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School 2-1 East Rand Athletic Club
Kaizer Chiefs 2-3 Highlands Park
Randburg AFC 2-2 Sevens Academy
Mamelodi Sundowns vs Tuks postponed
Kathorus Hyper Academy 0-0 Wits Junior
Panorama 0-0 SuperSport United
Jomo Cosmos 1-0 Joburg City
Remember Elite Sports Academy vs School of Excellence postponed
NWU Vaal vs TS Galaxy (Not processed as NWU Vaal failed to produce medics and an ambulance)

The South African Football Association (Safa) has named the boys’ and girls’ squads that will represent the country in the 4^th edition of the CAF African Schools Championships, which will be hosted by Namibia from 9-12 September.

The announcement comes after the u15 National Championships were successfully held from 9-10 August at Sturrock Park, in Johannesburg.

Gauteng won both the boys’ and girls’ titles. KwaZulu-Natal dominated the tournament but paid the price for wasteful finishing when the titles were on the line, with Gauteng winning both finals by narrow 1-0 margins.

Safa President Dr Danny Jordaan said he was impressed by the emergence of so many talented players as the organisation continues to develop a stronger base.

“Congratulations to all the players that have made the list. This is always such a proud moment because development is the cornerstone of Safa and Vision 2030,” Jordaan said.

“After the South African u15 girls’ national team returned home with continental silverware in May after winning the CAF African Schools Football Championship in Zanzibar, this is a continuation of that journey. Congratulations.”

Safa Technical Director Walter Steenbok said the tournament produced an overwhelming number of emerging players from across the country, adding that the national body was happy with the progress the provinces were making to develop more talent.

“We have selected a group of players that were born in the year 2010, and most of them have natural talent. They will help the county dominate at youth level over the next few years,” Steenbok said.

“We are looking forward to an exciting tournament in Namibia, and hope that we will not only be able to retain the girls’ trophy for a fourth year in a row but also bring the boys’ championship back to South Africa.”

Full Squads

 

 

 

A golden opportunity to push for higher honours in the u19 division of the Gauteng Development League awaits the “Lions of the North”, Highlands Park, who visit Kaizer Chiefs at Naturena Village this week.

It’s been quite the turnaround from Highlands Park, whose title defence began woefully with postponed games due to a waterlogged pitch and a few losses, but now they’re on the charge.

They’re in third place on the log, six points behind the table-topping Chiefs, and with two games in hand. It is safe to say that the defending champions have turned the tide.

It is important to note that their success hasn’t been without a helping hand from the football Gods, though.

Mamelodi Sundowns, the log leaders for the majority of the campaign before they slipped to second place a few weeks ago, have had to stomach several postponed fixtures and that has led to them losing momentum after making an impressive start to the competition.

Lacking rhythm due to the postponements, ‘Downs slipped to second place and then copped their first defeat of the season last week as they were humbled 4-1 by Sevens Academy in their own backyard.

That loss has not only allowed Highlands Park to catch up with the Brazilians, but they now have a chance to overtake them, and with their game this Saturday being against Chiefs, a win would also cut the gap to the Amakhosi to only three points.

The Lions of the North will travel to Soweto to take on coach David Mathebula‘s Kaizer Chiefs side fully aware that the game will hold big implications for the defence of the title they won so impressively in 2023.

Sundowns, meanwhile, will welcome Tuks to Clapham High for a mouthwatering Tshwane derby.

In other fixtures, Sevens Academy travels to the Randburg Sports Complex to take on the 11th-placed Randburg AFC, while Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School hosts East Rand Athletic Club in Tshwane on Saturday.

Remember Elite Sport Academy (RESA) tackles School of Excellence at President Park, NWU Vaal welcomes TS Galaxy at the NWU Sports Fields, while Wits Junior is on the road at Huntersfield Stadium to take on Kathorus Hyper Academy.

Panorama goes up against SuperSport United at home, while Jomo Cosmos faces Joburg City at the 1st Training Ground.

FIXTURES

Saturday, 17 August

Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School vs East Rand Athletic Club (RSMSS)
Remember Elite Sports Academy vs School of Excellence (President Park)
Kaizer Chiefs vs Highlands Park (KC Village)
Randburg AFC vs Sevens Academy (Randburg Sports Complex)
NWU Vaal vs TS Galaxy (NWU Sports Field)
Mamelodi Sundowns vs TUKS (Clapham High)
Kathorus Hyper Academy vs Wits Junior (Huntersfield Stadium)
Panorama vs SuperSport United (Panorama Sports Ground)
Jomo Cosmos vs Joburg City (1st Training Ground – Jomo Cosmos)

Hidden within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality is Edenvale, a small town on the East Rand, where brothers, Brendon Lohan and Storm Fox, have been hard at work developing the local football talent under the Sevens Academy flag.

Lohan, a former professional footballer, is now the chairman of the academy, and he has brought all of his knowledge, from on and off the pitch, to the club.

Fox, eight years younger than Lohan, coaches the u13 Sevens Academy team, which contests the Gauteng Development League (GDL).

This past weekend, when Sevens Academy handed Mamelodi Sundowns their first loss of the season in the under-19 division, thrashing the Brazilians 4-1 at Clapham High School, it became clear that the Edenvale-based team had finally acclimatised to the Gauteng Development League after making their bow at the start of the season.

The brothers’ passion and that of the staff and players saw Sevens Academy stun the league leaders. It was noticed, too, by the other GDL teams. None of them had managed to stop Sundowns in the league, but Sevens Academy had, emphatically.

Lohan’s story is inspiring, and he shared it on DStv Channel 216 last week, in the SuperSport Schools’ Football On 216 Show.

“The main reason I got into coaching is, when I played, I had a three weeks’ stint at (Moroka) Swallows when [manager] Gavin Hunt was still there, and after three weeks there, Gavin told me to go back but I wasn’t interested.

“I played for Highlands Park after that, when they were in the Vodacom League. I played there for a year and wasn’t interested (in continuing). I regret it. There are regrets,” Lohan admitted.

“I thought maybe I should get into coaching, help the kids realise that there’s the mental side of the game, not just the physical ability. That was the main reason I got into coaching, to try and help boys understand what it takes, because I know I threw part of it away and I have regrets.

“I don’t want kids to have the same regrets I have when they grow up.” he added.

However, the success of any club doesn’t start from the under-19 division. It begins at a younger level, with the u13s. That’s where Fox has made his mark with Sevens Academy.

With a passion for teaching youngsters football fundamentals, he has proven to be a perfect fit for the u13 age group, and his leadership has led to the success of the club’s youngest GDL team.

“I’ve always looked up to Brandon, as my older brother. Inevitably, I had to follow in his shoes. That’s why I took this role. I wanted to teach the boys the fundamentals,” he said.

“I think there’s a lot of youth who don’t understand the fundamentals of football. That’s the main reason I’ve stayed with the u13s since I joined the academy. That’s where my passion lies as far as the coaching side,” he explained.

With Sevens Academy having forced the rest of the GDL to sit up and take notice, they’ll be under the microscope as the season continues. But they’ll welcome that. It’s what happens when you’re successful.

RESULTS

Friday, 9 August

East Rand Athletic Club 0-2 Highlands Park 
Jomo Cosmos 1-0 Tuks
Kathorus Hyper Academy 1-0 SuperSport United
NWU Vaal 1-1 School of Excellence
Mamelodi Sundowns 1-4 Sevens Academy
Panorama 3-0 Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School
Randburg 2-3 RESA 

Sunday, 11 August

East Rand Athletic Club 1-0 School of Excellence
Sevens Academy 1-0 Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School
SuperSport United 2-2 RESA
TS Galaxy 1-3 Randburg
Tuks 2-0 Panorama
Wits Junior 0-1 NWU Vaal
Highlands Park 1-1 Mamelodi Sundowns 
Jomo Cosmos 1-2 Kaizer Chiefs