Leal gives thanks to the fans

After playing three games in the season and achieving a tremendous success (despite the loss to Maritzburg United) I feel compelled to inform you that the overall balance the technical team has made looks promising.
We went to Pretoria on Sunday, conscious that we would get a hostile reception from the fans of Mamelodi Sundowns as they had to win the game, but the maturity and professionalism of our players was bigger than any adversity we had to deal with in that particular game.
The team is not yet playing at 100% in terms of how we are gradually introducing our own philosophy of playing, but we are certain that with the indications we have seen so far, we are not too distant in getting the team to play the brand of football we believe will set us well on course to preserve the status and pride of the Club.
I can categorically assure our fans, members and everyone associated with the club, that the will to win in camp is enormous, and this super-desire has given us an extra motivation to fight to win at all times.
I am humbled by the never say die attitude not only from the players, but from the fans too, who have been our source of inspiration.
This season our motto in the team shall be: “One for all, and all for Pirates,” and we are positive that with this mentality, we can certainly take the team to a place where it belongs.
We will resume training this morning after giving the players a break for Monday and Tuesday. It’s back to business as we start preparing for the final against Kaizer Chiefs.
This is a very important game for us, and with the grace of God, we will do all we can and try to win that match and retain the Cup.
May God be with us in this endeavour; it is not easy, but with Him we can certainly do all things.
Once a Pirate, always a Pirate. www.orlandoPirates.com

Modise we can come back with 3 points

Bafana Bafana midfielder Teko Modise believes the national team has what it takes to return victorious from Niger.

South Africa will lock horns with that country in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier that will be played on Sunday, at the General Seyni Kountche Stadium.

Modise returns to the Bafana Bafana set-up after an absence of almost a year. He last played for his country in the 2012 Afcon qualifier against Sierra Leone in Freetown.

"I am really excited to be back in the squad as I have been working very hard on my game at club level. The call-up though, came as a shock because I did not expect it to come so soon.

"Whether I play or not on Sunday is another matter, but I am just happy to be part of the national team again. I have also seen a lot of improvement in the squad and I believe we have players capable of winning things.

"It's a different feeling and I see everyone wants to play for Bafana Bafana which is a good sign and should help in getting the required results. It's a big change since the last time I was here, we have quality players, the whole squad is full of confidence and that along gives us a chance to do well in Niamey," says Modise.

The midfielder is one of the most experienced players in the current squad with 58 caps to his name. He has been sharing his experiences with the younger players in the team like Eric Mathoho, Oupa Manyisa, Thulani Serero and Daylon Claasen.

Modise is confident that Bafana Bafana can return with positive results in Niamey.

"This is by far the toughest game for us as we will be playing away. But we will need to fight to get what we want. The good thing is that we know what is at stake, we know what we are up against, we know what we want and we know how to get it. We have been in this situation before when we went to Sierra Leone and Egypt where we managed to come back with points, so I am confident we can do the same again."

This is the second time that Manyisa has been called into the squad. He hasn't donned the national team colours, but he is hopeful of a getting his first cap very soon.

"Every player wants to play for their country, but I am not in a hurry because I know I will get my chance. I have been doing well at club level but I don't think I am under pressure to get a run, my time will come and when it does I will just do my best," says Manyisa. Kickoff

Eto'o risks racism for cash

Samuel Eto'o will become the best-paid athlete in the history of sport by joining Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala from Inter Milan.

The Cameroon superstar must have decided top level football is no longer that important to him, after his scintillating career in Spain in Europe, which saw him become a Champions League trophy magnet.

His decision to move to Russia seems to be a business one, rather than a sporting one.

Yesterday the suddenly high profile Russian team announced that it had reached an agreement with Inter to sign Eto'o.

".... an agreement was reached between the football clubs, Anzhi and Inter, for the transfer of Samuel Eto'o. The terms of the transfer are completely agreed on both sides," Azhi said.

"Anzhi expresses gratitude to the leadership of Inter Milan for their professional and constructive approach in the negotiations. Tomorrow the player will undergo a medical examination, following which the player will be awarded a three-year contract. On Thursday Samuel will arrive at the location of his new team and will begin preparations for the match against FC Rostov."

Eto'o is expected to earn as much as £17.9million per season in Russia.

One hopes that the money is enough to make Eto'o happy in Russia, a notoriously racist place where black and African players have been abused in the past.

Eto'o himself has been the victim of racist abuse in Europe before, and while he is undoubtedly a mentally strong character, will the money be enough to compensate for putting himself in the firing line of further abuse? Soccer Laduma

Forlan linked with a move to Inter

Diego Forlan could be on his way out of Atletico Madrid.

The Uruguay international striker has been linked with an exit from the Calderon for almost one whole season, but recently insisted he was happy at the club.

However, rumours persist that he will be Samuel Eto'o's short-term replacement at Inter Milan.

And the speculation that Forlan will move to the San Siro has intensified, after he allegedly asked not to be selected for Atleti's Europa League qualifier against Vitoria Guimaraes on Thursday night.

It is now believed that Forlan- who was voted the player of the tournament at last year's World Cup- has been given permission by Atleti to negotiate with other clubs.

"Forlan asked (coach Gregorio) Manzano this morning not to travel to Guimaraes because he was studying the possibility of signing for another team," Atletico said on their Twitter account.

"Manzano authorised him to stay in Madrid because Atletico have a lot at stake and need players who are 100 percent." Soccer Laduma

Bafana gain two spots on FIFA rankings

Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana Bafana has gained two places on FIFA’s official ranking system which was released earlier today, August 24. The South African national team has moved up two spots, from 49th place to 47th.

South Africa’s rise on the table follows the country’s 3-0 win over Burkina Faso in an international friendly played earlier this month at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg.

Bafana is now ranked seventh on the African continent, with Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Algeria occupying the first six places respectively.

The Netherlands now lead FIFA’s rankings having replaced Spain who have moved into second spot while Germany remain in third position. England and Uruguay complete the top five positions with England in fourth and Uruguay in fifth position. Soccer Laduma

 

Benni signs for Bucs

arcoding to Soccer Laduma Benni McCarthy and Orlando Pirates have agreed on terms and the striker is expected to be officially unveiled as a Bucs player tomorrow morning (Tuesday, August 2).

It is now just over a fortnight ago since our crew broke the news that the former Bafana Bafana striker would be returning to his native South Africa after a 14-year spell in European football.

It was in Soccer-Laduma’s issue number 729 that the crew exclusively revealed that McCarthy would be joining up with the Ajax Cape Town camp to maintain his fitness, and possibly pen a deal with the Cape-based outfit.

As predicted, the 33-year-old joined the Urban Warriors with their preseason training on July 21 and was immediately linked to Ajax as well as SuperSport United and Orlando Pirates.

Eight days after joining Ajax for preseason, on July 29, the Siya crew revealed on the Soccer-Laduma web and mobi-site that McCarthy would be attending the Carling Black Label Cup at the FNB Stadium to watch the Sea Robbers take on Kaizer Chiefs.

With the writing on the wall, the former Blackburn Rovers striker attended the Soweto derby on Saturday and subsequently met up with the Bucs management. Our crew revealed on Saturday, July 30, that a deal was imminent after McCarthy expressed his desire to join Pirates with Soccer-Laduma.

“I have spoken to the Pirates management and hope to conclude a deal with the club in the next two days. I am very excited,” McCarthy told Soccer-Laduma this past Saturday.

The crew can now confirm that Bafana Bafana’s all-time top goalscorer has agreed to terms with the Mayfair-based club and is expected to be presented as a Buccaneer tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.

Expect the Pirates camp to be tightlipped with the conclusion of the negotiations until the official announcement, although the Siya crew has it on good authority from Soccer-Laduma sources that the deal is as good as done. Soccer Laduma

United's new away kit

This season Manchester United will play in a striking blue and black away kit, inspired by the blue kits worn in several of the club’s most famous victories, including the 1948 FA Cup final and the 1968 European Cup final.
The new away shirt consists of a royal blue body and sleeves with hoops made of small midnight navy blue and black stripes. There are exactly 11 stripes in each hoop to represent each member of the United team.
The pattern of the shirt is modelled on a previous United away shirt, which consisted of red and white hoops and was worn between 1932 and 1939. It was also briefly adopted as the Reds’ home shirt for the last two months of the 1933/34 season.
The shorts are entirely black except for the same hoop from the shirt, consisting of 11 midnight navy blue and black stripes at the bottom of the back of each leg. The socks are black with a white devil from the club crest on the calf and a royal blue band at the top.
The new away kit is made from Nike’s ground-breaking recycled polyester – which for the first time includes both the shirt and shorts. Each complete kit is made up of up to 13 reclaimed plastic water bottles, reducing energy consumption by up to 30 per cent.
The kit and associated range is available to buy today from store.manutd.com and shops including the newly-refurbished Megastore at Old Trafford. Soccer Laduma

Benni's agent in talks with Pirates

Arcoding to Kickoff, Benni McCarthy’s agent, Rob Moore, is currently in negotiations with Orlando Pirates over the player’s proposed move to the club.

Moore is currently in the United States, but frantic trans-Atlantic negotiations are underway at the moment, with the parties hoping to have something finalized by either late tonight, or early on Tuesday morning.

McCarthy recently returned to South Africa and started training with Ajax Cape Town, but has made it clear that he would prefer a move up north, especially the opportunity to join Pirates and become the first player ever to win both the Uefa and CAF Champions League titles.

Speculation was further fuelled when McCarthy was seen watching the Carling Black Label Cup with Bucs chairman Irvin Khoza at Soccer City, with KickOff.com reporting that the player again met with the Iron Duke the following morning.

Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs are also known to be interested, but it seems Benni's heart is set on Pirates. Soccer Laduma

Musona impresess coach

It was revealed last week on Soccer-Laduma’s web and mobi-site that Zimbabwean striker Knowledge Musona had completed his transfer from Kaizer chiefs to German club,TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

The 21-year-old had spent just under a week with the Bundesliga outfit during their preseason training where coach Holger Stanislawski and his technical team had the opportunity to assess his ability.

Subsequent to the trial, after prolonged negotiations, all parties involved in the deal agreed to terms which saw last season’s top goal scorer in the Absa Premiership finalise a dream move to Europe.

Stanislawski has now come out and praised the former Chiefs striker through the German media referring to him as an “an uncut diamond”, saying that he has only received proper coaching over the last two-years. "He didn’t attend a soccer academy, he learnt to play on the streets,” expressed the coach to the German media.

The coach is impressed with what he saw during Musona’s trial, saying that he adapted to the squad with relative ease. "To join a training camp and to fit in immediately, where he didn’t know anybody and where he didn’t understand the language, that has really impressed me," added Stanislawski. Soccer Laduma

Daniels want to join Downs

Unhappy Daniels during training at Ajax

Arcoding to Soccer laduma Mamelodi Sundowns and Ajax Cape Town are battling to agree on terms for the transfer of central defender Clayton Daniels.

The player is desperate for a move to Sundowns, but Ajax's asking price is 'too high' for the Brazilians.

 

Speaking to Daniels, the player said that it's his wish to move to the Chloorkop-based club and he hopes the Urban Warriors will reward him for a move following years of good service.

 

"I need this move! I don't want to be an unhappy player at Ajax. It's true that I've agree on personal terms with Sundowns and I'm very happy with those terms and I'm grateful for the offer. 

 

"I've served my time at Ajax and I have a good relationship with the club, but I've also done many things for them. If they don't let me go, I'll be a very unhapy player and they don't want that to happen. I want to join Sundowns," said Daniels. Soccer Laduma