Latest news with #ManqobaMngqithi
TimesLIVE
13 hours ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Should coach Cardoso be fired after Sundowns' loss in the Champions League final?
It might seem crazy to ask whether a coach who has just steered his team to the final of the Caf Champions League, but lost, should keep his job. However, there are heated discussions on social media as fans debate the point. Portuguese Miguel Cardoso, who arrived at Sundowns in December to replace Manqoba Mngqithi — with the Brazilians' battles in the group stage a major reason for the change — took Downs to the final, as he had with Esperance de Tunis in his previous campaign. As with Esperance, who lost 1-0 on aggregate to Al Ahly, Cardoso could not steer Sundowns to the trophy, which would have been their first Champions League title since winning Africa's premier interclub competition in 2016. It was their first final in the competition since then. Many will argue Downs were unfortunate in their 3-2 aggregate final defeat against Egypt's Pyramids FC. In the first leg at Loftus Versfeld two Saturdays ago, Walid El Karti's equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw came deep in added time, in the final seconds. In the second leg two superb saves off his legs by Pyramids goalkeeper Ahmed El Shenawy denied Tashreeq Matthews and Peter Shalulile almost certain goals.
TimesLIVE
4 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
23-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
No margin for error as Golden Arrows aim to edge clear of drop zone against Sekhukhune United
Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi gives out instructions to defender and captain Gladwin Shitolo at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix Golden Arrows will be looking to make home advantage count when they welcome Sekhukhune United to the Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu on Saturday in a decisive Premiership clash. Kick-off is scheduled for 3pm in what will be the last fixture of the season for Babina Noko, while Arrows still have to navigate an outstanding 45 minutes against SuperSport United. For Arrows, this is a chance to potentially secure their Premiership status before finishing off that tricky encounter against Matsatsantsa. The Durban-based club currently sit in 13th position with 27 points, just one clear of Cape Town City in the relegation playoff spot. A win against Sekhukhune could be enough to confirm their safety, even if City collect all three points in their clash with Stellenbosch FC in the Cape derby. To the Mighty Gold and Green Army! The moment has arrived for our last home game of the season against Sekhukhune United! Let your passion ignite Princess Magogo Stadium! Come in your numbers, bring the noise!#SthendeWay #10betGoldenArrows — Lamontville Golden Arrows FC (@goldenarrowsfc1) May 23, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The margins are fine and the pressure is real, but Arrows will know that collecting three points at home might ease their relegation concerns significantly. Under coach Manqoba Mngqithi, Arrows have taken on a more structured and possession-focused approach since his arrival earlier this year. While the philosophy has brought some stability in phases, results have been inconsistent. Their home form remains underwhelming – with just three wins from 13 matches at Princess Magogo this season, accompanied by five draws and five defeats. Goals have been hard to come by, and the defensive lapses have not helped either. Saturday's clash comes with its own level of difficulty, as Sekhukhune are among the better-performing sides this campaign. The Limpopo based outfit are sitting fourth on the log with 46 points from 27 matches, and a strong finish could see them qualify for next season's CAF Confederation Cup – especially if Stellenbosch stumble. 1 - Keletso Makgalwa has won his first Player of the Month award, and is the third player from Sekhukhune United to do so after Andy Boyeli & Linda Mntambo. Honoured. — OptaJabu (@OptaJabu) May 14, 2025 Eric Tinkler's men are unbeaten in their last five matches, a run that includes two wins and three draws. Their most recent outing was a 1-1 draw with Kaizer Chiefs, a match in which they showed both resilience and organisation. This consistency has been a key factor in their rise up the table, and they will be looking to maintain that level heading into the final week of the season. Sekhukhune also won the reverse fixture 2-0, which will give them confidence heading into the return match.
The South African
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Three reasons why Orlando Pirates imploded
Orlando Pirates appeared to be on course to win a treble this season, but everything collapsed in the past six weeks. The Sea Robbers started the 2024/25 season on a high by claiming the MTN8. At the time, the Buccaneers were top of the Betway Premiership, having won all their matches up to that point. With rivals Mamelodi Sundowns struggling under Manqoba Mngqithi, it looked as if it might be a big year for the Buccaneers, Lack of signings in January Pirates lost to Stellenbosch and Cape Town City midseason and that should have been a wake-up call for the Bucs management. The club decided not to sign any new players during the January transfer period, and that came to bite them later in the season. Orlando Pirates needed to bring in a top striker and a creative midfielder. The goals have come from Mohau Nkota, Relebohile Mofokeng and Evidence Makgopa, while Tshegofatso Mabasa has not been himself this season. With Monnapule Saleng sidelined, the Sea Robbers often lacked a supersub or creative spark in big matches. A top striker was needed in the CAF Champions League, while a creative midfielder would have won the team league matches, especially against Sekhukhune United. Losing key matches Pirates lost a handful of matches, but the defeat to Pyramids in the CAF CL semi-final was the turning point. A few days after the CAF exit, the Buccaneers lost a league game, ultimately seeing Sundowns extend their gap at the top. The Nedbank Cup loss to Kaizer Chiefs was Jose Riveiro's first defeat in a final, having won his first five. Riveiro's departure The Spaniard announced his departure early in April and that seemed to have affected the players. Their performance dropped even in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals, where they scraped through. It was evident that hi announcing his exit a few months before his contract was a bad call. Orlando Pirates were often found wanting and that ultimately saw them winning just one trophy all season. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
PSL set to order Golden Arrows, SuperSport United to replay second half
Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has one more match in the Betway Premiership to prepare the club for – Sekhukhune United – next weekend. Photo: Backpagepix Image: Backpagepix The Premier Soccer League have reportedly ruled that only the second half of the abandoned February clash between SuperSport United and Golden Arrows will be replayed – a critical 45 minutes that could decide who survives the drop. With the score locked at 1-1 before load-shedding plunged the venue into darkness, and no back-up power available, the match was called off at halftime. According to SABC Sport, that one-half reprieve is now set to be completed at a yet-to-be-confirmed date – and both clubs have everything to play for. When contacted by Independent Media for a comment on the matter, Arrows said that they were yet to be informed of such a decision, and the only information they have has come through the media. Meanwhile, the PSL and SuperSport could not be reached for comment at the time of publishing. Christian Saile opened the scoring for SuperSport in the original fixture, before Velemseni Ndwandwe restored parity for Arrows. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ What followed was chaos off the pitch, and now both sides will have to pick up where they left off – with new faces on the touchline. Gavin Hunt was still in charge of Matsatsantsa at the time, but he's since been dismissed, with Andre Arendse taking over in an interim role. Similarly, Mabhuti Khenyeza, who led Arrows on the day, has moved to Chippa United, and was replaced by former Sundowns mentor Manqoba Mngqithi. And the stakes have never been higher. Arrows currently sit in 13th place on the Premiership table with 27 points – just one ahead of Cape Town City, who occupy the relegation playoff spot. With the league's tightest relegation scrap in years, even the smallest error could cost dearly. Arrows still have a match against Sekhukhune United to come this Saturday (3pm start). A win might be enough to guarantee safety, unless City, who face Stellenbosch FC in the Cape derby, manage to pull off a victory of their own. SuperSport are in equally hot water. A loss to Orlando Pirates midweek has left them desperate for points. They must now secure at least four from their remaining two fixtures – against Richards Bay and the 45-minute replay against Arrows – to stay afloat. The league has yet to confirm when and where the second half will be played, but one thing is certain, it will be no ordinary half of football. It's a survival decider, and a scrap for top-flight lives. In a relegation battle where margins are as thin as a single goal, 45 minutes could be the difference between relief and ruin.
