I Hope To See Sanity Prevailing
Soccer Laduma|30 October 2019
David Notoane is every young South Africanplayer’s dream coach, having played the game at the highest level and earned his stripes as a coach in the junior ranks.
I Hope To See Sanity Prevailing

He is currently the Mamelodi Sundowns MultiChoice Diski Challenge head coach and was not so long ago appointed to be at the helm of Amaglug-glug, a move met with good sentiment in the local soccer fraternity. The immediate task is simple: qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, and standing in the way of our national U23 side fulfilling that dream in the qualifiers starting on November 8 in Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Zambia, pitted in the same group as Mzansi. Can our talented team do it? What are the challenges going into this tournament? Notoane outlines it all in this frank conversation with Soccer Laduma’s Beaver Nazo.

Beaver Nazo: David, we haven’t spoken to you since you were appointed head coach of the national U23 side, so first and foremost, congratulations are in order.

David Notoane: Thank you, my brother. I thought I am too dark, too beautiful and too South African to be congratulated, ha, ha, ha.

BN: How’s it been?

DN: Well, so far, so good. It hasn’t been easy. I mean, it took a lot of hard work juggling between this and Mamelodi Sundowns (where Notoane is MDC coach). It comes with a lot of hard work. Getting times right and everything has been hectic because I couldn’t just drop Sundowns and commit to SAFA without a long-term financial commitment from their side, you know. That is why I had to get the balance to say: can I do both? So, yeah, juggling between the two hasn’t been easy, but it is all about leadership and commitment.

BN: How are you finding the support from the clubs and the mother body?

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FLERE HISTORIER FRA SOCCER LADUMASe alt
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We have a problem

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They have the character

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They are on another level
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They are on another level

Before signing for Mamelodi Sundowns last season,Lyle Lakay knew that he would be used as a leftback and not in his preferred left wing position, something that he surprisingly did not have a problem with. In his first season with the club last term, he played a key role as they went onto win an unprecedented ninth Absa Premiership league title. This season has been a bit of a slow one for Lakay, who has been used mostly as a substitute, but there’s still a lot of football to be played both locally and on the continent, so he has time to fight for his place in the starting line-up. In this interview, the former Cape Town City and Bloemfontein Celtic player chats to Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane about his time at the Tshwane giants so far, their chances of winning the CAF Champions League and why he believes they can close the gap on current Kaizer Chiefs, who have been in fine form since the start of the campaign.

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Siyag bhoza

Middendorp holding a divided Chiefs camp together

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Lionel Messi 2019 Ballon d'Or winner

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Jose Is Back, Will He Last?

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6 mins  |
27 November 2019
It Was Challenging
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It Was Challenging

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No Disrespect To Chiefs, But…
Soccer Laduma

No Disrespect To Chiefs, But…

On how he masterminded victory over Chiefs

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4 mins  |
27 November 2019
He Is Not Personal
Soccer Laduma

He Is Not Personal

He may not be gettingregular game-timedomestically with Bidvest Wits, but attacking midfielder Gift Motupa is making a name for himself in this season’s CAF Confederation Cup. The 25-year-old player has bagged six goals in the campaign so far, inspiring the Clever Boys to the group stages of a CAF club competition for the first time in their history. It has not been the same in the domestic league though, with just one start so far and one goal. Having done so well in the Confederation Cup, he will no doubt be hoping that coach Gavin Hunt will give him more opportunities to play in the Absa Premiership as the Braamfontein-based outfit looks to challenge for the title. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane, Motupa expresses his excitement about qualifying for

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9 mins  |
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That's Me Wherever I Go
Soccer Laduma

That's Me Wherever I Go

As a coach, former Kaizer Chiefs striker Wedson Nyirenda prides himself on being blessed with the mentality of a winner. So much that when talking about his past achievements in the realm of coaching, you can almost never miss the sparkle in his eye, and often this trip down memory lane will be accompanied by a smile that tells a story of contentment and achievement. He has built up a reputation, across all three countries he has worked in, of turning socalled ordinary teams into respected outfits. He did it with Baroka FC, helping them to annex the 2018 Telkom Knockout trophy much against many people’s expectations. However, the going has since gotten tougher, and the Limpopo side is (still) struggling to score goals this season. What is going on? Is Nyirenda going to jump ship and go back to his previous role as Zambia national team coach, as the rumour mill seems to suggest? Nyirenda provides the answers in this chat with Soccer Laduma’s Beaver Nazo.

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7 mins  |
20 November 2019