Latest news with #Arendse
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Andre Arendse addresses SuperSport sale rumours
SuperSport United interim coach Andre Arendse has broken his silence on the rumours of the club's possible sale, admitting it... Stan Matthews, CEO of SuperSport United and Andre Arendse, caretaker coach of United after a Betway Premiership 2024/25 match against Golden Arrows at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria on the 29 May 2025 © Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix SuperSport United interim coach Andre Arendse has broken his silence on the rumours of the club's possible sale, admitting it has had an effect on his squad. The comments came after Matsatsantsa a Pitori retained their Betway Premiership status with a 1-1 draw against Golden Arrows on Thursday afternoon. ALSO READ: SuperSport retain their Betway Premiership status The fixture was replayed three months after being abandoned due to a power failure. It resumed with just 45 minutes of the second half remaining. Despite the unusual circumstances, the draw was enough to keep SuperSport in the Premiership. The result sees United finish 14th on the log after collecting 27 points from a revised 28-game season. Cape Town City also ended on 27 points, but Arendse's men edged them out on goal difference. City will now enter the PSL relegation play-off mini-league alongside Motsepe Foundation Championship sides ORBIT College and Casric Stars, who finished second and third respectively. Speaking after the Arrows match, Arendse acknowledged that ongoing speculation surrounding the club's future unsettled the dressing room. 'The only thing I can tell you and this is a genuine answer. Those are things that are completely out of my hands and the team,' he said. 'Those are boardroom issues but did it have a negative impact on the team when it broke? Yes, of course. That is natural, you have people thinking about their futures, families, livelihoods and it's something that will weigh a little bit heavy on you. 'My job was to try and take that pressure and stress off the players in these last set of games that we had to get through and let them be free to play. I did that as best as I could but those things do weigh heavy. 'The board has not talked to me and said anything. We will continue as if we're a football club that still exists for now. Until those issues are confirmed one way or another, any answer I give you is speculation. To answer your question, you know just as much as I do.' ALSO READ: Bafana's Broos – I can't select Chiefs players Reflecting on the season, Arendse was candid about United's struggles. The club managed just six wins, alongside 13 losses and nine draws. Their lack of firepower was evident, netting only 18 goals while conceding 30. 'It has been a very up and down season. It has been a weird season because a lot of clubs will tell you that we played one game and had to wait another month for a game, Arendse concluded. 'We had breaks and we also waited for other games to be played. It has been a very tight programme and all of a sudden you are not picking up results for whatever the case may be. ALSO READ: Ahly confirm appointment of ex-Pirates coach Riveiro 'I will sit down and do a complete report about the entire season and think about where it could have gone wrong, when it could have been right and where we need to fix things if we are to come out of this situation as a club.'
The Citizen
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Chiefs and Pirates to miss key players for season finale games
Chiefs need to win their final game against Polokwane City to qualify for the MTN8. Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates will be without some of their key players when they play Polokwane City and AmaZulu respectively this weekend. The Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Thursday confirmed the list of players suspended for this Saturday's Betway Premiership matches. ALSO READ: Arendse confident SuperSport will stave off relegation Amakhosi will be without Pule Mmodi, who is suspended for the game against Rise and Shine at the FNB Stadium. Mmodi is serving the first of his two-match ban after receiving a red card against Sekhukhune United last weekend. Chiefs need to win their final game against Polokwane City to qualify for the MTN8. The Buccaneers will miss Bandile Shandu when they meet Usuthu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. The utility player, who has scored two goals in the last three games for Pirates, is suspended for this encounter after picking up his fourth yellow card in their 1-0 win over SuperSport United on Tuesday. AmaZulu, on the other side, will miss the services of defender Mbongeni Gumede who will be serving a suspension after receiving a red card in their 1-0 victory over Golden Arrows. ALSO READ: Mayele admits to Chiefs transfer contact 15th placed Cape Town City will be without Nathan Fasika and Thabo Nodada when they face Stellenbosch FC in the Cape derby at the Cape Town Stadium. The duo is suspended for this match. Richards Bay will miss the services of midfielder Lindokuhle Zikhali who scored the winner and received a red card during 1-0 win over TS Galaxy at the beginning of the month.
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
SuperSport United just don't have luck at the moment, bemoans Arendse after Orlando Pirates loss
Bradley Grobler Veteran SuperSport United striker Bradley Grobler (right) holds off Orlando Pirates captain Nkosinathi Sibisi at bay in Tuesday night's clash. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix ANDRE Arendse is a glass-half-full kind of guy. The SuperSport United stand-in coach chose to look on the bright side of his team's 1-0 defeat by Orlando Pirates in their Premiership clash at Polokwane's Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday night. The loss left Matsatsantsa a Pitori needing to beat Richards Bay FC in their final match of the season at the same venue on Saturday (3pm start) if they are to avoid getting into the play-offs to retain their elite league status. It was SuperSport's successive defeat after they lost to Stellenbosch FC, and they are tied on 26 points with 15th-placed Cape Town City. Arendse believes they will survive. 'We've got it in the locker-room. We believe we can score goals and keep opposition strikers away, and we are going to keep that for the next game,' he said. 'We are going to have to do it the hard way... there's no doubt about that. We've got the next one (match) coming, and we will prepare for that.' SuperSport were unfortunate not to get at least a point from a match that Pirates won via a second-half goal from Mohau Nkota, who did well to get inside of Aphiwe Baliti to shoot with his favourite left foot after receiving the ball from Karim Kimvuidi on his right. Late in the match, Nyiko Mobbie's powerful header from a Pogisho Sanoka delivery bounced off the upright, with Pirates' debutant goalkeeper Siyabonga Dladla, who was celebrating his 24th birthday, well beaten. 'There's such a thing as luck in the game. There really is,' Arendse said post-match. 'And we don't have it at the moment. On another night, that header hits the post and goes into the net. This time, it hits the post and comes back. 'Those are the kind of margins I am talking about in times of luck's perspective. We just don't have that at the moment.' What they do have though is a fighting spirit and determination he lauded his team for. 'Of course I am not happy that we lost, but I am not disappointed in the performance. Once again, they gave their all out there,' Arendse said. 'I thought we pushed them so far into the game. Defensively, we looked very, very solid, and just one lapse in concentration and we are giving teams goals again, like in the past game (against Stellies). 'We've got to fix that and do it quickly because we are running out of games. We don't have time.' His outlook for the team, nevertheless, remained a positive one. 'We are going to do this (avoid going into the play-offs). 'There is no doubt in my mind that this group of players is going to see this team over the line, and I look forward to seeing that.'
TimesLIVE
21-05-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Defiant SuperSport coach Andre Arendse confident they will save the club
SuperSport United caretaker coach Andre Arendse is confident they will avoid the dreaded PSL playoffs despite the 1-0 loss to Orlando Pirates in Polokwane on Tuesday. The loss has dealt SuperSport a huge blow as they remain second from the bottom where they are tied on 26 points with Cape Town City and are faced with a tricky situation to avoid dropping to the playoffs. They return to Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday to face Richards Bay, where a win will be the priority as they continue with the mission to save the club from possible relegation to the Motsepe Foundation Championship. Asked to reflect on the loss to Pirates, who have already secured second spot, Arendse bemoaned lack of luck as defender Nyiko Mobbie was denied by the woodwork in the second half from close range. 'There is such a thing called luck in the game and we don't have it now,' said Arendse, who took over from Gavin Hunt. 'On another night the header [by Mobbie in the second half] hit the post and goes into the net. But this time it hit the post and goes outside. That's the small margins I am talking about from a luck perspective.' Arendse said though they are determined to save the club, he admitted they are running out of time. 'We are going to have to do it the hard way and there is no doubt about that. We have the next match [Richards Bay] on Saturday and we must prepare properly for that to keep the team going. 'It is a bit deflating that we lost to Pirates. I thought we pushed them hard in the game, we looked solid defensively, we kept our shape nicely but there was one lapse in concentration and we gave them the goal as we have done in past games. 'We have to fix that and we have to do it quickly because we are running out of games. We are going to do this and there is no doubt in my mind this group of players are going to see this team over the line. I look forward to seeing that.'
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
SuperSport United banking on Bradley Grobler, Christian Saile to cause Stellenbosch FC upset
Christian Saile Christian Saile (centre) will hope to score again for SuperSport United against Stellenbosch FC. Photo: BackpagePix SuperSport United interim coach Andre Arendse could lead his team closer to safety if they beat Stellenbosch FC in the Premiership on Saturday. SuperSport are languishing in the bottom half of the standings with 26 points, three ahead of Cape Town City, who hold the playoffs spot. Matsantsantsa a Pitori have four games to play before the end of the season, something that could yield 12 points and safety if everything goes their way. They have to put their money where their mouth is, though, by ensuring that they grind results in their next games, building on their recent 2-0 win over Chippa United. Arendse, after being put in charge of the team following the sacking of Gavin Hunt in March due to a string of poor results, expressed his ample belief in his team. He said the depth is there, so the only thing they need to do is to rediscover their confidence and get back to winning ways in the league. So, having his team gone on a four-game unbeaten run since he took over after drawing the first three games before beating Chippa, it seems the players are heeding his call. Strikers Bradley Grobler and Christian Saile both scored against the Chilli Boys, ensuring that they hit the right notes when the team needed them the most. Arendse will bank on the due to keep on firing until the last game of the season against Richards Bay at home on May 24. After all, they need to do it for the club and themselves. Grobler has struggled with injuries this season, limiting his goal contribution for the team. His injury issues have resulted in many pundits advising him to hang up his boots while he's back on the pitch, instead of being forced to retire by an injury. Saile, meanwhile, needs to continue being at his best with every passing game if he's to return to his parent club, Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs, at the end of the season. However, the onus to steer SuperSport to safety doesn't only rest with the coach and the two strikers, but everyone that's part and parcel of the team as well. A team like Stellies, for instance, won't be easy customers as they'll be at home, the Danie Craven Stadium, and are eyeing a third-place finish on the standings as well. Stellies are just two points behind Sekhukhune United, who hold the coveted third-place spot which guarantees CAF Confederation Cup football next season, on the log. Coach Steve Barker's men were part of that continental showpiece last season after finishing third, and that's why they'll want to qualify for the same event next season as well.
