Latest news with #GranniesInternationalFootballTournament
Telegraph
01-05-2025
- Telegraph
British mother found stabbed to death outside home in rural France
A British woman has been found stabbed to death outside her guest house in a mediaeval French village. Karen Carter, 65, was discovered 'collapsed and unconscious' near her car in Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, on Tuesday evening. A murder investigation has been opened into the mother of four's death. Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the Bergerac prosecutor, disclosed that Mrs Carter had sustained multiple stab wounds to her chest, groin, arm and leg. In a statement released on Thursday, Ms Martins-Guedes said that the victim was found by a friend with whom she had been in a relationship for several weeks. 'They had spent the evening together in Trémolat with friends and then returned to the victim's home, whom he said had arrived only about 10 minutes before her. 'He discovered her collapsed and unconscious near her vehicle with bleeding wounds, and he immediately called emergency services, administering first aid himself.' Investigators said that the savagery of the attack testified to 'particular violence' and demonstrated 'a desire to kill'. The friend was questioned by police but later released without charge, French media reported. Police have launched a manhunt to find her killer. A murder weapon has not yet been retrieved. Prosecutors have not ruled out the theory of a robbery gone wrong and said that 'no hypothesis is being favoured'. Mrs Carter is understood to have lived in the Dordogne for the past 10 years and ran two upmarket guest houses. She was also a midfielder for the over-50s Queens of Football (Reines du Foot) team that had competed in the Grannies International Football Tournament in South Africa last month. 'Everyone is in shock, it's horrible, Karen was super helpful, she was kindness personified,' her teammates told local media. In a tribute on Facebook, a spokesman for the club wrote: 'We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Karen, our friend and Queen of Football, who leaves a great void in our hearts. 'All our thoughts go out to her loved ones.' Anne Calvert, who runs the Dordogne Chippy, a mobile food van in Trémolat, told the Telegraph that Mrs Carter was a 'lovely person'. She added: 'She was a regular customer here, we are really sad that this has happened.' Another resident described her as 'a delightful, energetic person who got on with everybody'. They added: 'Nobody can understand how this could have happened in a peaceful place like this. We are all keeping our doors locked. It is deeply worrying.' An online CV for Mrs Carter states that she previously ran a guest house in the city of East London in South Africa before moving to Nouvelle-Aquitaine in January 2015. 'She used to travel back and forth to South Africa but has been more present here since the beginning of the year,' one neighbour told Sud Ouest, a French newspaper.
The Citizen
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Giyani-born PSL legend mentors youth through sport
LIMPOPO – Former Premier Soccer League (PSL) top goal scorer Ishmael Maluleke has found a new calling off the pitch. The Giyani-born footballer is dedicating his post-playing career to nurturing young talent and giving back to the community that shaped him. Maluleke, who famously netted 18 goals during the 2000–2001 PSL season to clinch the top scorer title, now heads both the Gazaa Football Academy and Gazaa Netball Academy. These initiatives focus on developing future sports stars between the ages of 7 and 21. 'There is life after soccer,' said Maluleke. 'I've shifted my focus to development and coaching. There's so much local talent, and I want to use my experience to help produce the next generation of stars.' He revealed that plans are underway to launch a sports agency focussed on talent identification and providing broader opportunities for young athletes. After retiring from professional football in 2009 due to injury, Maluleke explored other avenues in the sport. He is now a respected soccer analyst on the Xitsonga radio station, Mughana Lonene FM, where he shares football insights with listeners. In addition, he serves as chairman of the South African Football Association (SAFA) in Giyani, overseeing the standard of soccer in the region. Beyond football, Maluleke is also active in ministry. He is the eldest son of Pastor Dr Selina Maluleke and serves under her leadership, preaching and promoting values rooted in faith and community service. Most recently, Maluleke participated in the Grannies International Football Tournament held in Nkowankowa. He served as both commentator and analyst during the matches and also took on the role of programme director for the tournament's closing ceremony. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Selfies, goals and cheers at South Africa's grannies World Cup
Mbele Nonhlanhla's team Vuka Soweto hails from the famous township outside Johannesburg (Phill Magakoe) Mbele Nonhlanhla laced up her silver cleats as her coach shouted encouragement to the creaky knees, stiff backs and laboured breathing in a dressing room in South Africa's far north. At 63, wearing jersey number 10 and sporting brown-dyed hair, the grandmother of seven was far from your typical footballer when she stepped onto the field for her first international tournament. Advertisement "I feel like a superstar," Nonhlanhl grinned, revealing a missing tooth. "They call me the goal machine." Her team, Vuka Soweto, hails from the renowned township of Soweto outside Johannesburg. It had joined more than a dozen others from across Africa and beyond to compete this week at the Grannies International Football Tournament in the northern province of Limpopo. The four-day "Grannies World Cup" was held in a stadium with sweeping mountain views. The 30-minute games were played in two halves at a slow but purposeful pace, between teams from as far as the United States, France and Togo. Advertisement "It is all about active ageing. Whether we win, lose or what, it is all about coming here and staying fit," said 62-year-old South African Devika Ramesar, a mother of two and grandmother of five. Until this week, the Liverpool fan had never stepped onto a football pitch. Kenyan striker Edna Cheruiyot only had two months to learn the "long list" of football rules before Friday, when she scored her only goal. She took selfies to remember her first ever trip abroad and send to her grandchildren. - The old neglected - "I feel nimble. This is the lightest I have been since my first child in 1987," Cheruiyot said, adjusting the blue headwrap covering her greying hair. Advertisement At 52, she is a youngster within her team, whose oldest player is 87. The idea for the tournament arose in 2007 as a way to improve the health of local women, said founder Rebecca Ntsanwisi, 57, who is fondly called Mama Beka. It came out of her sense of personal challenge following a cancer diagnosis that once bound her to a wheelchair. "The older women need to come together and enjoy. We are neglected," she told AFP outside the home where she lives with her ageing parents. She hopes to host the next tournament in Kenya. Almost 40 percent of South Africa's children live in households headed by their grandparents, according to government statistics. Advertisement That is mainly due to poverty, cultural traditions and urban migration. But grandmothers should not be saddled with the responsibility of raising their grandchildren, Ntsanwisi said. "This is our time to enjoy and relax," she said. "I will die knowing that I did something." Chris Matson, 67, took the advice to heart and travelled from the United States to "enjoy every second of the tournament". "I did not play when I was little so to do it now is wonderful," said the bubbly goalkeeper for the American New England Breakers team. - Rolling back time - The team doctors, however, were earning their keep. Advertisement The aches and pains of the elderly players needed constant checking, South African team medic Diana Mawila said. Some members of her Vakhegula Vakhegula team had to be monitored for high blood pressure before every game. Vakhegula Vakhegula means "grandmothers grandmothers" in the local Tsonga language and is a nod to the national men's team, Bafana Bafana or "boys boys". But the team disagreed with Mawila's assessment and burst into heartfelt laughter. "We are fit!," captain Thelma Ngobeni said, balancing on her head a packet of maize flour that players had received after the games. Advertisement "It is not about winning or losing. All that matters is that we showed up, had fun and did our best," she said. Nonhlanhla's goal was more ambitious. A dream of making it big in football was within reach, she said. "It's never too late to achieve your childhood dreams. I don't see anything stopping me," she added, walking out of the brick-walled tunnel to face France. In a scene mirroring professional football, the crowd erupted in applause as teams entered the stadium hand in hand with young mascots and national anthems played. "I'm halfway there, right?" Nonhlanhla smiled. ho/jcb/gil
