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Soccer Laduma
We knew there was a big fish waiting
Mamelodi Sundowns defenders Grant Kekana and Zuko Mdunyelwa sat down with Soccer Laduma’s Delmain Faver at the PUMA Grassroots Football Activation at Discovery Park in Sandton (Parkmore) to reflect on one of the most memorable seasons in the club’s history.
1 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
Bafana take on the world
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is almost here, and for the first time in 24 years, Bafana Bafana will grace football’s biggest stage. As the tournament approaches, Soccer Laduma’s Matthew Petersen previews what promises to be a historic edition - examining South Africa’s chances, dissecting their daunting Group A opponents, profiling the tournament favourites and Africa’s record 10-team contingent. Renowned coach Muhsin Ertugral lends his tactical acumen and experience to guide us through football’s greatest spectacle.
6 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
The ball fell into our court
Delmain Faver: Sundowns lost out on all the domestic cups, but you were able to redeem yourselves in the end and take the big fish. Would you say that winning the CAF Champions League made up for losing the league title?
3 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
It's a dark path that only you can walk
Delmain Faver: Zuko, congratulations on being crowned African champions for the second time. How does it feel?
4 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
Mbule gone! What next?
Orlando Pirates confirmed the departure of Sipho Mbule after just one season with the club. The midfielder leaves the Buccaneers under a bit of a dark cloud with many stories doing the rounds of social media platforms, as was the case with his departures from SuperSport United, Mamelodi Sundowns and Sekhukhune United, where he spent a season on loan from the Brazilians. The bad press around the 28-year-old midfielder, which comes from various media sources, is surely not good for his career, and this could see clubs being concerned about signing him or offering a long-term deal for his services. With the transfer window opening at the start of July, Soccer Laduma looks into some challenges he could face and where he could end up playing his football.
4 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
InTouchWith...
BONGINKOSI MAKUME - BAROKA FC (PART 2)
3 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
One thing that killed them
I started following Orbit College regularly when Orlando Pirates loaned Monapule Saleng to them.
5 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
We got to the top at the right time
Winning automatic promotion to the Betway Premiership for Kruger United was not only about what happened on the pitch. Off the pitch, the club put together a team of individuals who played a role in making sure that the team was running properly to achieve their goals this season. One of those individuals is Sporting Director Elasto Kapowezha, a man with tons of experience from working at various clubs since retiring from the game many years ago. Kruger won promotion and now Kapowezha has the big task of ensuring they are well prepared for the top-flight. Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane met up with Kruger’s Sporting Director to talk about how the club managed to win promotion to the Betway Premiership and what the plans are for the upcoming campaign.
6 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
Still InTouch With...
ANDRIES SEBOLA (PART 3)
4 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
Kaizer Chiefs end of season Player Ratings
Kaizer Chiefs finished third in the season just past, climbing an impressive six places in the Betway Premiership table. 36 different players got minutes this term, although seven of those squad members did not appear enough times to earn a rating. Which players excelled and which performed below the standards required by Amakhosi? Soccer Laduma dishes out ratings for the 2025/26 campaign.
7 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
Let's go, Bafana Bafana!
Coach Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana will be squaring off against Mexico tonight in what will be a repeat of the 2010 FIFA World Cup opener, when Bafana played 1-1 at home to Mexico in a match that every South African including the world will never forget.
5 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
What does that tell you about us, as a country?
I’m going to say this in Zulu, nikhe nezwa kuthiwa kuningi? Hey kuningi maan and any non-Zulu speaking reader must ask for a translation to understand what I mean. It is crunch time, and the moment we’ve all been waiting for, patiently, has finally arrived. I am greeting you guys in Spanish, Ola as I’m writing this column all the way from Mexico and wow! I know we’ve been waiting for this, but it is difficult to absorb and not get nervous about the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. What a vibe and a well-organized event so far!
6 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
Steven outclassed Pirates
In 2022, former Bafana Bafana striker Benni McCarthy sent shockwaves through social media when he declared former U20 international Anthony Christian the biggest waste of talent he’d ever witnessed. The story of “Money Eyes” Christian is a story of exceptional talent, harsh realities, and the environmental forces that swallowed a generational genius before the world could know his name. In the second part of Soccer Laduma’s interview conducted by Delmain Faver, Christian, the Newclare-born former playmaker, opens up about his biggest regret and what made McCarthy and Steven Pienaar great as players.
3 min |
June 11, 2026
Soccer Laduma
My life just went dark (Part I)
In one of South African football’s most heartbreaking tales of unfulfilled potential, Anthony “Money Eyes” Christian sits down with Soccer Laduma’s Delmain Faver to discuss his journey from prodigious talent to cautionary tale. Growing up in Westbury and Newclare as the only son among six sisters, Christian was hailed by Benni McCarthy as the biggest unrealised talent in South African football. Under the guidance of coaches like Trott Moloto and Shakes Mashaba, Christian dazzled in youth football, winning the COSAFA U17 tournament and earning praise from Liverpool legend Steve McManaman. But addiction derailed a career that promised greatness akin to Ronaldinho’s. Now focused on guiding the next generation, Christian reflects candidly, in the first part of our interview, on the choices that cost him everything, the Olympic squad he never joined, and the second chance God has given him to make a difference.
5 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
Was that even necessary?
Coach Hugo Broos’ final Bafana Bafana squad heading to the FIFA World Cup announcement drew a lot of criticism, and most of it rightfully so, because of the way everything was handled.
5 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
It's good for my mental health
Vincent Pule is the type of player you hardly hear about in the media. He is happy to stay out of the limelight and focus on his wife and kids. Having a stable family has kept him grounded and has given him the motivation to focus on his football career. His commitment to the game cannot be questioned and a lot of it has to do with his desire to ensure that his family’s future is secured for years to come. Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane recently met up with the former Bidvest Wits and Orlando Pirates midfielder to talk about the season with Siwelele FC, as well as the importance of having a stable family.
6 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
Is Cardoso exposing the PSL’s biggest problems?
Miguel Cardoso’s first full season in South African football has been anything but quiet. The Mamelodi Sundowns coach achieved what many of his predecessors could not, guiding the Brazilians to their second CAF Champions League title and cementing his place in the club’s history alongside Pitso Mosimane, who delivered the first continental crown in 2016. Yet while success arrived on the African stage, Cardoso’s campaign was also characterised by a series of outspoken comments directed at various aspects of South African football. In this feature, Soccer Laduma examines the debate from all angles, looking at what sources have told us, what the facts reveal, the deeper issues behind Cardoso’s comments and what the future could hold for both the coach and South African football.
6 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
Still In Touch With... ANDRIES SEBOLA (PART 2)
Andries, thanks a lot for taking the time to talk to us again. We really appreciate it. Last week we ended our conversation when you were talking to us about Alex ‘‘Barnes’’ Bapela.
4 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
The story behind the scenes...
The fixture congestion debate
3 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
In Touch With... BONGINKOSI MAKUME - BAROKA FC (PART 1)
Hola Thiago, thanks for taking the time to have a chat with us. It's been a while since we last spoke to you. Unfortunately, Baroka FC got relegated from the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
3 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
I was ready to be at Spurs
Few South African footballers have experienced a rise as dramatic as that of Mbulelo Mabizela. From captaining both Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana at a young age to earning a dream move to Tottenham Hotspur, the former defender seemed destined for greatness on the global stage. In Part Two of his honest conversation with Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina, “OJ” opens up about the overwhelming experience of moving to England, the off-field struggles that affected his career, and why he believes better guidance could have changed the course of his journey. The former Mamelodi Sundowns player also shares his thoughts on the current national team heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
6 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
I'm also doing it for him
At just 20 years old, Jean-Marc Moutsinga has already experienced a football journey that has taken him from the development fields of Johannesburg to Europe and now Sudan. Born in South Africa to a South African mother and a Cameroonian father, the young winger has steadily worked his way through academies such as Black Aces, Etimar and Joburg City, while also gaining exposure in the Czech Republic and at a Liverpool FC academy training camp. Now turning out for Al Ahli SC Wad Madani, Moutsinga opens up to Soccer Laduma, speaking to Masebe Qina, about his football upbringing, the sacrifices his family made for his career, his experiences abroad and his dream of one day representing the South African national soccer team.
7 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
That makes me proud
After years of building his reputation in development football at Orlando Pirates, Mandla Qhogi is now making a strong impact in senior football with Eswatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs FC.
7 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
An absolute shambles
I want to start by expressing my deepest gratitude to the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, and especially to Minister Gayton McKenzie.
4 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
Lyle is not giving us anything
On Bafana's World Cup Preparations
5 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
What Cross brings to Bafana
When Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos named his 2026 FIFA World Cup squad on 27 May, two uncapped players were selected. One of those was Kaizer Chiefs defender Bradley Cross, who has since made his international debut against Nicaragua. The former Schalke 04 and Newcastle United academy player ended a seven-year wait for Amakhosi to have a player selected by Bafana Bafana for a major tournament. The last two rosters for the African Cup of Nations had not seen a single Chiefs man selected. The last time we saw players from Chiefs in the Bafana shirt at a major tournament was the 2019 AFCON, where Daniel Cardoso, Ramahlwe Mphahlele and Bruce Bvuma made Stuart Baxter’s squad. So, what does Cross bring to the table ahead of Group A matches against Mexico, Czechia and South Korea? Soccer Laduma investigates.
5 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
PEP - A decade to remember
Ten years, 18 major trophies and a place among football’s greatest managers. Yet Pep Guardiola’s final chapter at Manchester City was defined not by silverware, but by decline, uncertainty and the sense that one of football’s most dominant dynasties had finally reached its natural conclusion. Here to look at how a legendary reign ended on something of a sour note, and the daunting task now facing Enzo Maresca, is Soccer Laduma’s Junaid Benjamin.
5 min |
June 04, 2026
Soccer Laduma
I joined Pirates with a pure heart
Masebe Qina: Hola OJ, you came through as one of the most naturally talented defenders South Africa has produced, and when you reflect on your journey, what moments define Mbulelo Mabizela the most for you?
7 min |
May 28, 2026
Soccer Laduma
EPL Season review
The 2025/26 season has concluded, and the Premier League delivered yet another spectacle.
1 min |
May 28, 2026
Soccer Laduma
Arsenal Back on Top
Mikel Arteta cemented himself as an Arsenal icon after he guided the Gunners to the first Premier League title since the Invincibles in 2003/04.
7 min |