Latest news with #Ettifaq
The South African
24-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
The PROS and CONS of Relebohile Mofokeng staying for another season
Before the end of last season, Orlando Pirates star Relebohile Mofokeng was already tipped for a move to Europe. With just over a week until the MTN8 competition resumes, the 20-year-old is still with the Buccaneers. He recently toured with the team to Spain for their pre-season training, where he scored two goals in four matches. With eyes on him this transfer period, it was his teammate Mohau Nkota who left the club to join Saudi side Ettifaq. There were rumours that Relebohile Mofokeng could join his former teammate, but nothing has yet materialised. The speedy winger had a good season with Pirates and even earned a few caps for Bafana Bafana in the process. The Pros If Rele stays another season, he can always leave in January. With Bafana Bafana set to play in the Africa Cup of Nations, the youngster will have a chance to showcase his potential. A good Afcon will attract interest from top teams in Europe, making him not only South Africa's biggest player but Africa's valuable star. Another six months can shape him as a better player and increase his price tag from R30 to R100 million. A European move is still on the cards, and if he maintains his form, he will play in the top five leagues, no doubt. The Cons At this moment, Mofokeng is enjoying his football and is eager to leave. If he stays, he might feel demotivated and with Oswin Appollis playing in his position, he will likely switch to the right. Having played mostly on the left, a new role might not suit him well. Another thing that can derail him is injury. Relebohile Mofokeng has never suffered a serious injury but if that happens, he might miss the Afcon and that could have an effect on him. His season could be disrupted by him failing to move, injury, playing out of position etc. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
17-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Nkota: Ettifaq move is a ‘dream come true'
Nkota was officially unveiled by Ettifaq on Thursday. Former Orlando Pirates winger Mohau Nkota was unveiled by Saudi Pro league side Al-Ettifaq on Thursday. Photo: Ettifaq media Mohau Nkota has described his move to Ettifaq as a 'dream come true.' On Sunday, Orlando Pirates announced that Nkota had completed a move to the Saudi Pro League side. ALSO READ: Pirates respond to report linking Mofokeng with move to PSV Nkota was on Thursday officially unveiled by Ettifaq, who also shared images of the 20-year-old signing a contract. 'It's a dream come true to play for a club like Ettifaq in one of the top leagues,' said Nkota in a video posted by Ettifaq on social media platforms. 'Ettifaq fans, thank you very much for the welcome, and I wish you all the best for the coming season.' Nkota joins Etitfaq after a successful breakthrough season that saw him score seven goals and make five assists in 39 appearances for the Buccaneers. The youngster was also instrumental in Pirates reaching the semifinals of the CAF Champions League, where he scored four goals and made two assists in nine appearances.
Arab News
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Inconsistent Al-Hilal drop more points with time running out for title hopes
DAMMAM: Second-place Al-Hilal fell further behind in the Saudi Pro League title race on Friday as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Ettifaq. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport With just three wins from their last nine games, the defending champions are seven points behind league leaders Al-Ittihad with only seven games left to play. It was a game coach Jorge Jesus will know the Riyadh side should have won, especially after spending much of the second half on the attack. Ettifaq, driven forward by the in-form Gini Wijnaldum, enjoyed a bright first half and took the lead on the stroke of half-time with a spectacular opener. Joao Costa found the ball far from the Al-Hilal goal and the 20-year-old unleashed a fierce shot that flew into the net. The visitors emerged from the break full of purpose, with Aleksandar Mitrovic shooting straight at the goalkeeper from the edge of the area. Just three minutes before the hour mark, they were level. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic set Renan Lodi free down the left and the full-back reached the byline before pulling back a short ball to his Brazilian compatriot, Malcom, who fired high into the roof of the net from close range. It was suddenly anybody's game but the visitors were undoubtedly in the ascendancy. Just three minutes later, the 19-time champions almost took the lead with the same move, except this time Marcos Leonardo got on the end of it and could not quite wrap his foot around the ball at the near post. Next, a Kaio Cesar shot from the opposite side of the area was well-blocked. Deep into injury time, Abdullah Al-Hamdan came close with a flying header, only for his attempt to land on the top of the net. Al-Hilal left frustrated, while Ettifaq remain in eighth place. Earlier, Al-Ahli moved into fourth spot with a 2-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Al-Raed. Franck Kessie scored in the first half from the penalty spot, then Gabri Veiga, returning to action after a lengthy absence through injury, sealed the points midway through the second half.
Arab News
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Wijnaldum ensures Eastern derby ends all square
RIYADH: The Eastern derby ended 1-1 on Saturday as Al-Qadsiah were held by Ettifaq in what was a blow to their chances of a top-three finish, and a place in next season's AFC Champions League. Newly promoted Al-Qadsiah took the lead, had the best of the possession, chances and the game in general, but could not get the all-important second goal to kill the contest off, and Wijnaldum ensured that they paid the price in the second half. Al-Qadsiah remain fourth on the Saudi Pro League table, two points behind Al-Nassr and five behind second-placed Al-Hilal. Mo gets off the mark #AlQadsiahAlEttifaq | #RoshnSaudiLeague — AlQadsiah Saudi Club (@AlQadsiahEN) April 5, 2025 Going into the game, the hosts were on a high after booking their first-ever place in the final of the King's Cup on Wednesday, and all was looking good at the break as they took the lead. Mohammed Qasem picked up the ball on the left, near the Ettifaq area, and curled a cross into the six-yard box. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tried to get a head on it and did enough to distract goalkeeper Marek Rodak, who could not gather the ball. Instead, it bounced out to Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, who reacted quickly to fire home from close range. Ettifaq have been in good form, however, since the departure of Steven Gerrard as head coach in late January. Under Saad Al-Shehri, the replacement for the Liverpool legend, the Greens had taken 16 points from their last previous eight games to move up to seventh in the table, though the last match was a defeat against struggling Al-Fayha. They were always in the game and then, three minutes after the hour, grabbed the equalizer. It came from a similar position on the pitch as Qadsiah's opener. Vitinho curled a free kick into the area for a number of white shirts to attack the ball and Wijnaldum got there first, heading past goalkeeper Koen Casteels. It was the 11th league goal of the season for the former Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, an impressive return. Both teams pushed forward in an attempt to take all three points, but in the end, they had to settle for one each.
Associated Press
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Ronaldo kicks the ball away in anger as Duran head slap earns red card
An apparently light slap earned Colombia forward Jhon Duran a straight red card in just his fourth match for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Friday. On Friday in stoppage time, while play seemed to have stopped, he appeared to give a glancing slap to the back of the head of Ettifaq midfielder Abdulelah Al-Malki. Al-Malki dropped and rolled on the ground. The referee issued a red card despite the protests of teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
