A good enough footballer can be spotted a mile away, and that is why, as an example, a gynaecologist from Scandinavia wouldn’t rock up in the Absa Premiership and masquerade as a footballer. So, even with his slow start after he had finally landed in Johannesburg, the fact the sometimes hard-to-please Kaizer Chiefs faithful started to warm up to Andriamirado Andrianarimanana, with his poor command of English, speaks volumes about the midfielder’s ability and quality. Unfortunately, though, if not surprisingly, his 14 appearances for the Soweto giants last season were not enough to see him remain with the club this season, as he has been sold to Black Leopards. Some believe he was made the sacrificial lamb, as Chiefs had to let one foreigner go to adhere to the PSL rules. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Beaver Nazo, Dax, as the player is affectionately addressed, with the help of close friend and homeboy Stenny Randriamanantsoa who translated some of the questions for him, talks about this, as well as how things are going in Limpopo.
Beaver Nazo: Hi, Dax. How is life at Black Leopards treating you so far? Andriamirado Andrianarimanana: Everything is well here, papa. Everything works out well, no problems. It is very nice here. People are friendly.
BN: Limpopo can be very hot at times, especially during the summer season. How are you coping with the heat, having been used to the coast back in Madagascar?
AA: Yes, it is hot, but I haven’t experienced any problems. It is not that different to my home country, but it is different because it is always hot here. But there were two days where it was too cold.
BN: The team has had a poor start to the season and lie in 12th place on the log standings, after seven games played. How do you plan to change the situation around?
This story is from the 2 October 2019 edition of Soccer Laduma.
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This story is from the 2 October 2019 edition of Soccer Laduma.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
We have a problem
For this reason, Clinton Larsen was shown the door as head coach, but still, under new mentor Norman Mapeza, the struggle persists, although they did win two games on the trot recently.
They have the character
Cut Lehlohonolo Seema’s skin andhe’ll probably bleed green andwhite – such has been the man’s loyalty to Bloemfontein Celtic. Born and bred in neighbouring Lesotho, the Mangaung outfit is a club that’s always had a pull factor on him. So much that it is they who pulled him from obscure Bantu United from the mountainous kingdom in 1998, and he would go on to represent the club until 2006 when the allure of Orlando Pirates, understandably, proved too great a pull factor. Yet even a five-year spell with the Soweto giants, which included a season-long loan stint at Mpumalanga Black Aces, would not prevent him being pulled back in the direction of Siwelele, albeit to begin a coaching journey in the junior ranks. The next step was to become an assistant, a job he performed with aplomb, before being called on to take the hotseat together with John Maduka after the departure of Steve Komphela at the tail end of 2018. Much against general expectation, the duo has done fairly well, if Celtic’s off-field troubles of the recent past are to be taken into consideration. Soccer Laduma’s Beaver Nazo sat down with Seema to discuss this, that, and the other.
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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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.
