The Betway Premiership is heading toward a dramatic photo finish as league debutants Orbit College find themselves holding the keys to the South African football kingdom. In a classic David versus Gol...
The 16 Premier Soccer League teams in the Betway Premiership are edging closer to the end of a gruelling 10-month season as they prepare for their final two matchday league fixtures.
Mamelodi Sundown...
Young soccer players from the Cape Flats are stranded in Spain after their return tickets failed to materialise.
It was meant to be a dream football experience, but young soccer players from the Cape Flats are stranded in Spain after their return tickets failed to materialise.
The distressing situation unfolded just weeks after players from Brandon Timmy’s BT Football — a Cape Town-based academy — embarked on a tour inspired by aspirations of honing their football skills and immersing themselves in Spain’s rich footballing culture.
However, when the group concluded their activities and prepared to return home, reality struck.
The return tickets that were supposed to bring them back to South Africa were mysteriously unavailable.
The shocking news has left the young players and their families in Cape Town reeling in disbelief and despair.
According to LinkedIn, Timmy is also listed as the owner of a travel agency, BT Travel.
While a few return tickets had surfaced in the days prior, the broader situation remained dire.
Efforts to reach Brandon Timmy have thus far been unsuccessful. He did not respond to calls, and his wife, Jonique, terminated a call without comment.
Meanwhile, Jayvin Chisholm, a BT Football coach, returned home with a small group of players on Saturday.
He recounted the emotional and frustrating ordeal of having to leave their teammates behind.
The distressing circumstances have left Chisholm “crushed,” largely due to what he described as an apparent lack of planning that forced coaches to take on roles typically reserved for professional tour managers.
Several coaches reportedly paid for various expenses from their own pockets, with one covering more than R60 000 in costs.
In an exclusive interview with Independent Media, Chisholm outlined the chaos that marked the tour, including critical gaps in travel and accommodation arrangements — areas he felt were handled with alarming unprofessionalism.
Desperate for help, the coaches approached the South African Embassy in Madrid, but their efforts were in vain.
Back home, a heartfelt show of solidarity emerged. Cape Town football coach Shamieg Mc Laurie took to social media to shine a light on the group’s ordeal. Posting on his Facebook page, Captured Sporting Moments, Mc Laurie raised awareness and called for support from the broader community.
He also revealed that the players' parents had each paid about R50 000 for the trip, making the situation even more tragic. According to Mc Laurie, Timmy has since gone missing, and families are unable to make contact with him.
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has reportedly been made aware of the players' plight. Further responses from authorities and organisers are awaited as the young players and their families continue to seek a resolution to the crisis.
Orlando Pirates teenager Mbekezeli Mbokazi was impressive in his side's 2-0 win over Granada on Saturday.
Orlando Pirates clinched a well-deserved 2-0 victory against Granada on Saturday at the Marbella Football Centre to end their pre-season tour of Spain on a high note.
The result marked a significant morale boost for the Soweto giants, who had endured a string of challenging fixtures during their training stint abroad. After four games, Pirates secured their first tour win.
Granada’s head coach, José Rojo Martín – a former LaLiga professional – expressed admiration for Pirates' tactics. As part of his preparation for the match, he had reviewed footage of their goalless draw against Las Palmas last Thursday.
Speaking to SuperSport TV, a translator for Martín relayed the coach’s surprise at the intensity and dynamics displayed by Orlando Pirates. “He was quite shocked by the dynamic of the team, the intensity, and the quantity of the players,” he noted, adding: “He has done the research and watched the match against Las Palmas.”
The match against Granada began tentatively, with both sides feeling each other out during a stop-start opening quarter. Pirates created their first real chance in the 24th minute, though Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s effort drifted wide. Mbokazi, surprisingly deployed at left-back, later found himself in several attacking roles but struggled to convert his opportunities.
As the first half progressed, the Buccaneers began to find their rhythm. Boitumelo Radiopane came close to breaking the deadlock, but his header lacked the power to beat Granada goalkeeper Luca Zidane. Still, Pirates showcased their attacking intent, frequently surging forward with purpose.
After a nervy first half, Pirates returned with renewed determination. Goalkeeper Sipho Chaine kept them in the contest with a string of crucial saves as Granada pressed forward.
Persistence eventually paid off in the 82nd minute when Patrick Maswanganyi, well positioned inside the box, calmly slotted the ball into the net to hand Pirates the lead.
The goal injected fresh energy into the side, and Relebohile Mofokeng soon doubled the advantage. After slipping past the final defender, he calmly finished into an open net to secure a deserved win.
The result concluded Pirates’ Spanish training camp on a high, leaving them unbeaten in their final three pre-season matches. As they return to South Africa to prepare for the 2025/26 season — starting with their MTN8 title defence against Polokwane City — their performances in Spain reflect a promising synergy that supporters hope will carry into the domestic campaign.
Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi believes tough lessons from a testing Dutch pre-season will pay dividends as Amakhosi take on Asante Kotoko in the Toyota Cup.
“I feel absolutely optimistic about the upcoming season.”
Nasreddine Nabi might be considered delusional by some for uttering those words. After all, what’s there to be optimistic about when Kaizer Chiefs endured a tough pre-season tour of the Netherlands, losing four out of their five matches?
Amakhosi managed just one win — a 20% return. Hardly cause for excitement, is it? But pre-season fixtures are not always about results.
For coaches, they are opportunities to build systems, test new combinations and lay the groundwork for the season ahead. For Nabi, his optimism comes from what he learned about his players during those five testing matches.
“We saw a lot of positives in our training matches against very strong Dutch opponents. The players have started to understand the way I want them to play, and they gel well as a strong unit,” the Tunisian, now entering his second season with Chiefs, told the club’s website.
While he ended Chiefs’ decade-long trophy drought by winning the Nedbank Cup last season, Nabi oversaw a forgettable league campaign that saw the Glamour Boys finish ninth. Improvement will be expected in the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season, and the Dutch tour, he believes, has set the right tone.
“One of the conditions of having a good season is having a good pre-season — that’s where the foundation is laid. We didn’t only want quality opponents,” Nabi explained.
“We also wanted quantity. Alongside that, we did some tough physical work at training, even doing double sessions the day before a match.
"We really pushed the guys hard in Holland. It was tough, extremely tough. However, they never complained — always giving their best. That was inspiring to see.”
He’ll be hoping that same inspired attitude carries into the Toyota Cup when Chiefs face Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
Unlike in The Netherlands, where Chiefs played in front of curious and enthusiastic European crowds, this weekend they will face the unforgiving scrutiny of an expectant home support. Chiefs fans are desperate for signs of revival — and the Nedbank Cup final victory over old foes Orlando Pirates at the same venue only added fuel to the fire of renewed hope.
With several new signings and the memory of last year’s Toyota Cup defeat to Tanzania’s Young Africans still fresh, nothing would lift the mood more than a commanding victory over Kotoko and keeping the trophy on home soil.
Nabi has had the opportunity to assess his new recruits — Nkanyiso Shinga, Ethan Chislett, Thabiso Monyane and Flavio Silva — during the European tour, and he likes what he sees.
“They need to fully gel with the group. However, they are all adapting nicely and are beginning to understand what I expect from them. Our objective was to sign new players who would elevate us to a higher level than last season.”
He also remains encouraged by the progress of the club’s development prospects.
“We don’t want to rush them,” Nabi said of Thulani Mabaso, Kabelo Nkgwesa and Naledi Hlongwane.
“I am always willing to give maximum opportunities to young talents. If you are good enough, you are old enough to play. That’s my philosophy.”
It will be interesting to see which of the new signings or emerging talents endear themselves to the Amakhosi faithful in the Toyota Cup. And just as intriguing: will Nabi still be feeling “absolutely optimistic about the upcoming season”?
Bloemfontein Celtic supporters are excited about the propsect of supporting their new team, Siwelele FC, in the PSL after a four-year absence from top flight football. The new club and the green and white supporters hosted their first general meeting with their new Chairman, Calvin Lee John, at Dr Rantlai, Molemela Stadium on Sunday, 20 July 2025.
Calvin Lee John, who is chairman of Siwelele, bought SuperSport United’s status for R50 million early this month after Matsatsantsa a Pitori managed survived the promotion/relegation playoffs in the 2024/25 season.
Lee John said he wanted the club not to make a profit, but to bring joy to the Siwelele community.
“Every year, someone will come and say Celtic will come back next season, but now it is a time for us to have a team that belongs to us as Masele,” said Lee John.
He shared his vision with his supporters of building the team venue and wanting to win the league in the next 3-5 years.
Former Celtic and Orlando Pirates skipper Lehlohonolo Seema is the newly appointed head coach of the green and white jersey. He said he is very grateful to be part of the Siwelele, and it is now time to start go back and reintroduce the culture of having kids’ corner and singing for Siwelele.
“I am incredibly grateful to be here. Thank you for being united since 2021, to this date. I promise this will not be an easy journey for us, but let us be united, it is time now we bring our kids to the stadium and have a kids' corner like old days, let us sing for Siwelele.” The former Bafana Bafana top player, Mark William, will be the head coach of Siwelele at the DSTV Diski Challenge (DDC) league.
Renowned Celtic veteran supporter Botha Msila, who was present at the general meeting, said he is incredibly happy that they now have a team, and they will support the team throughout.
Msila added that as the new Siwelele FC supporters, they will still support Marumo Gallants - who relocated to Bloemfontein last year August to bring premiership football back to the City of Roses.
“We are going to support both teams. If Siwelele FC is away, we will support Marumo Gallants. We are looking forward to having a derby in our town.”
Premier Soccer League (PSL) novices Orbit College FC displayed their readiness to compete in top flight football by launching a new kit and introducing new players and a more organised management structure ahead of their premiership debut season.18 July 2025, at the Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg.
During the launch at Olympia Park in Rustenburg yesterday, the North West-based TVET College’s principal-cum-club chairman, Dika Mokoena, affirmed that Orbit FC is a community-based side that belongs to everyone in the North-West Province.
Having recently gained promotion into the PSL, Mokoena added that they will do everything possible to remain in the premiership.
“Our mission is to play in the premiership league to help uplift the local communities in the province and give hope to the students who play football in the TVET Colleges,” he said.
Coach Pogiso Makhoye believes his team has gained the right personnel to be competitive in the PSL.
“We have proved a lot of people wrong after we were labelled as chokers in recent seasons. We don’t have a big budget but (we) aim to compete talent-wise with a well-established side.”
North-West MEC for Sports, Tsotso Tlhapi, said the government will support the “Mswenko Boys” to ensure they overcome all challenges.
“The team belongs to the entire North-West and we will help it financially and beyond.
At the event, Orbit FC also unvelied three players who are on loan from Orlando Pirates, namely Monnapule Saleng, Thuso Moleleki, and Yanga Madiba.
The team also officially announced Thato Mohlamme from Richard Bay FC, as well as Lucky Malatsi and Yamkela Gamede from Lerumo Lions and Hungry Lions respectively, amongst their new acquisitions.
Bafana Bafana international Saleng, whose loan deal is believed to be effected by a financial dispute with his parent club, said he is grateful to be back home at Orbit - where his football career was launched.
“I am happy to be back at home, and I feel very emotional and expect to use my experience to add value. It will not be easy to play for the Premiership.”
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Grant Williams can form a dynamic half-back partnership for South Africa when they complete their Rugby Championship build-up by tackling Georgia in Mbombela on Saturday.
Caster Semenya’s lawyer, Gregg Knotts, believes she has opened doors for all athletes. Last Thursday, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights found that Caster Semenya was denied a fair trial by Switzerland’s legal system.
This comes after the World Athletics' rules prevented her from competing, as she refused to take hormone suppressants.
Caster’s legal team did not ask for damages to be paid to them, but rather for their legal costs to be covered.
Notts said Semenya has learned a lot through the ordeal.
“I think this is a step now that looks at the court. It looks at the way they look at regulations, so the tables have turned. The power play regarding the athlete and world organisation bodies regarding adjudicating matters, such as Caster’s, will be entirely different.”
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News
