Latest news with #GoldenArrows
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.'
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
'Anything is possible in South Africa,' Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi after 'second half' match with SuperSport
Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi has described the 45-minute contest with SuperSport United at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Thursday as strange and unheard of. Mngqithi said he hopes it does not set a bad precedent where clubs will in future switch off lights when results are not going their way hoping to complete matches later. SuperSport narrowly survived the dreaded promotion playoffs with a 1-1 draw with Golden Arrows to officially mark the end of the Betway Premiership campaign. This second half, which ended without goals, was a continuation of the match abandoned at halftime three months ago due to Lucas Moripe's lights going out amid a power failure with the score level at 1-1 at halftime. At that time, SuperSport opened the scoring after four minutes through the effort of Christian Saile and that goal was cancelled out in the 24th minute by Velemseni Ndwandwe for Arrows. 'Anything is possible in South Africa,' - Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi after the match against SuperSport. WATCH full interview ➡️➡️➡️ — Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) May 30, 2025 SuperSport, whose future remains in doubt with rumours the club is for sale, are equal on 27 points with Cape Town City but have a better goal difference and have saved their status in the PSL. This means City, who finished 15th, go to the playoffs where they will play against Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) sides Orbit College and Casric Stars — pending an arbitration involving MFC champions Durban City — to save their PSL status. 'It's strange, it's unheard of and I hope we did not set a bad precedent,' said Mngqithi. 'If this is what is going to happen, we are going to have a lot of problems with teams switching off the lights when the going gets tough. If the mindset is not right for the match they will know at least we have a repeat the next day or after three months where we may come back better. 'With all the changes you can still make after three months, it may be better for other teams. Personally, I have never heard of anything like this, but in South Africa anything is possible. 'In South Africa sometimes traffic is directed by the homeless, so anything is possible.' SuperSport CEO Stan Matthews said they followed all the procedures set by the PSL. 'We have done everything according to procedure, from our point of view we followed the process and we faced our DC charges and we respected the decision. 'Everyone has their rights to do whatever they want to do but I can't speak for Cape Town City. As far as we are concerned, we did everything we needed to do, we complied with all the conditions put in front of us. 'We fulfilled our league fixture and according to me and the league table we have avoided the play-offs.'
IOL News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Respect is earned: From Seagal's disaster to Chelsea's apathy to the PSL's governance crisis
Thulani Hlatshwayo of Supersport United is challenged by Gladwin Shitolo of Golden Arrows during their Betway Premiership clash at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Thursday. BackpagePix Image: Backpagepix Have you ever watched Attack Force? Consider yourself lucky if you haven't. It's a mid-2000s Steven Seagal movie that shows almost no respect for the medium. Seagal plays the commander of some elite US unit, murdered by — who knows what... Genetically modified soldiers? Perhaps. Aliens? Possibly. Vampires? By the end, it seems that way. In any event, Seagal looks uninterested — checked out — when he's on camera, which isn't for very long. About halfway through the incoherent mess, Seagal buggers off, having clearly decided he had better things to do with his life. From then on, body doubles, voice-overs, dubbed sections and stand-ins draped in shadow take over his role. It's so bad, it's comical. Watching the first half of Chelsea's performance on Wednesday night in the UEFA Europa Conference League final at the local pub against Real Betis dredged up similar feelings of confusion. It was somewhat clear — the starting XI confirming it — that the Blues had almost no respect for the match. It was a torrid first stanza from Enzo Maresca and his charges as they laboured to stifle a highly motivated Los Verdiblancos. The Blues improved immensely when Reece James was subbed on early in the second half. That change seemed to allow Cole Palmer and the front line to play their natural game with confidence. In any event, you'd expect a R24 billion-assembled side to squash one not even worth a fraction of that — and eventually, that's just what Chelsea did. Although it ended in a comfortable 4-1 victory, it could have been much smoother had the Londoners respected the moment and their opposition from the start. Sadly, the kind of disengagement seen on the pitch on Wednesday is not just a European problem — it's mirrored, more worryingly, in our own football ecosystem. Respect. I've been thinking about it a lot these past few weeks, especially in relation to football — and more specifically, our local game. It seems to be withering away by the week. It feels to me that the PSL have lost respect for their own brand, the clubs, the players and the fans. There's no arguing that this past season has been a messy affair. The Royal AM saga embarrassed the league and their stakeholders for far too long. An immediate response was required, but it never came. As soon as SARS got involved in managing that debacle, the Premiership's administrators should have expelled the club. In February, SuperSport United and Golden Arrows couldn't complete their game due to loadshedding. Three months later — with the league puzzle mostly solved, but still missing a critical piece — they finally completed the game this past Thursday. In the NFD, arbitration is still trying to resolve who will be promoted to the elite division and who will be relegated to the third tier. It's been almost a fortnight since the league concluded, and we still don't know who will be going up, nor who will contest the PSL promotion/relegation play-offs, which was scheduled to start last week. There has also been too much fan hooliganism — a slap on the wrist here and there — and a disturbing tendency toward inaction. Match officiating, meanwhile, has come under increasing scrutiny. I can appreciate that these are complicated matters to resolve and that such complex problems are not limited to South Africa, but right now, self-interest seems to be driving decisions within the league. That, ultimately, stems from a lack of transparency and open governance. A world-class league cannot be managed in such a way — not if it wants to project success and prestige, not if it wants the respect of its peers. The PSL cannot afford to check out and hope their name — its mere whisper of a presence — will sell the show. If they want to command respect, they must start by showing it: through decisive action, proper governance, and a return to basics.
The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Mandla Ncikazi on Orlando Pirates job: When I got into this club, I became a servant
Mihlali Baleka | Published 4 hours ago Mandla Ncikazi has devoted himself to being a servant of Orlando Pirates – hence, he'll serve wherever he's deployed by the management next season. Ncikazi served as the interim coach of Pirates in the last four matches, following the early departure of coach Jose Riveiro. He did fairly well in the capacity, guiding Pirates to 61 points – their best finish since the 2002/23 title-winning season after one win and three draws. As such, he has all but involuntarily thrown his name in the basket of coaches who may be considered to succeed Riveiro, having shown continuity. Ncikazi, despite serving as a co-coach and then assistant at Pirates, is no stranger to the head-coach role, having held the position at Golden Arrows prior to joining the Buccaneers. However, the 56-year-old – who's in his fourth season at the club – says the management will make the decision on his future as he's just ready to do his part. 'I've learnt so much in this club,' said Ncikazi, who was speaking after Pirates drew 1-1 with Magesi FC in their season finale at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night. 'You don't only learn as a coach, you also learn as a human being – they teach you to be a better man and a better human being.' 'That augurs well for me because I'm not the type who is looking for opportunities. When I got into this club, I became a servant. I want to serve this club. 'Remember, when you are appointed here, you must put your aspiration in the right place (and act as required). 'You are here to serve and if you are serving, you are not the one who determines which direction you go with the mission. 'I'm here, and I will go where I've been sent to go and preach the gospel. And it's not on me: it is the appointer who will take a decision.' It's not only Ncikazi that has served with aplomb under Riveiro, but outgoing captain Innocent Maela as well. Maela led Pirates to five trophies – MTN8s and two Nedbank Cups – and three successive runners-up finishes in the Premiership as they qualified for the CAF Champions League. He wasn't a regular in the starting line up in the last two seasons, with Riveiro preferring Deon Hotto, who's naturally a left-winger, over him at left back. But the 32-year-old hardly sulked and moaned around, be it for late cameos or media duties as he showed up and spoke from the heart. His loyalty and service to the club seems as though it will be rewarded, as there are reports that he'll retire at the end of the season and work behind the scenes. 'He is a product of this institution,' said Ncikazi, before going down memory on the time he first saw Maela. 'I remember the first time I met him, he was playing for Thanda Royal Zulu and I was still in KwaZulu-Natal, and I saw this fast winger that I wanted to poach. 'But I was told he belongs to a big institution, so then you know what should happen. He's a great human being. 'Sometimes, we look at players and forget they are society members. 'It becomes very good when you have a good human being, and a good player. It's moments like that which make you continue being a leader, even if you are not on the pitch. 'He's highly intelligent. I'm sure he is educated at home and in the institutions of learning. It is a blessing, and I'm sure his career is going to continue. 'It is not the end. He is taking another direction in his career, based on his humanity and his academic learning.'
IOL News
4 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
SuperSport United survive the chop following dramatic Premiership finale against Golden Arrows
SuperSport United endured a nerve-wracking 45 minutes to secure their place in the top-flight next season, playing to a 1-1 draw in the resumption of their Premiership fixture against Golden Arrows at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Thursday afternoon. The draw came at a crucial time, allowing Matsatsantsa a Pitori on 27 points to leapfrog Cape Town City on the same amount of points into 14th position, pushing the Cape side down to 15th due to a better goal difference. City will now wait to learn the outcome of an investigation in the NFD Motsepe Foundation Championship regarding Durban City's alleged use of an ineligible player to determine who they will face in the promotion play-offs. Abafana Bes'thende still had a mathematical chance of reaching the top eight, but it would have required scoring six goals in one half – a highly unlikely outcome, given their season average of less than a goal per game. The responsibility to guide Matsatsantsa to safety fell to interim coach Andre Arendse, who took over to complete the job left unfinished by then-head coach Gavin Hunt.
