Kick Off

Kick off is Africa's biggest selling monthly sport Magazine and the leading authority on South African soccer.

KICK OFF

Kick Off

Bafana’s failure is SAFA’s fault, not Ntseki’s…

LETTERS to the editor

THE MONTH THAT WAS

ALSO LAST MONTH…

‘I want to inspire’ • League titles, CAF Champions League and domestic cup competition medals, an appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup and individual awards – Mamelodi Sundowns forward Themba Zwane has achieved it all in his illustrious career, which kicked off 10 years ago. If Sundowns wins the league title this season, it will be his fourth victory in a row and fifth overall. The 31-year-old sat down with KICK OFF editor Zola Doda to talk about his achievements, failing to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, as well as what it would be like to take on Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly in the Champions League.

Choosing Pirates over Besiktas • From being a part time groundsman while still at school to working as an electrician, Deon Hotto has never lost the appetite for football. And that is evident in the way he has been performing at Orlando Pirates this season. In this interview with KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo, the former Kaizer Chiefs fan reveals that it was the gravitas of Dr Irvin Khoza that won him over to join The Buccaneers, rather than a big-money move to Turkish giants Besiktas.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY

Destined for greatness • Happy Mashiane’s value is now worth more than the gold colour that Kaizer Chiefs wear as he navigates his way towards establishing himself in the first team into his third year at the club. And his contribution has been one of the few positives through the recent slump that Chiefs have gone through. KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo travelled to Tembisa to see where it all began for the 23-year-old AmaKhosi star.

‘The sky is the limit!’ • In Part 2 of our exclusive interview, AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy candidly chats to KICK OFF’s Chad Kelly-Klate about his stay at the club so far, his ugly departure from Cape Town City and what he hopes to achieve with Usuthu.

Who has been the Best of the Best? • It is that time of the year again when you, the jury, is called upon to decide the best player of the 2020/21 season. Eight nominees have been identified for trial. Who will you be selecting as the next KICK OFF Footballer of the Season?

‘Nobody has what he has’ • In the short time that Kgaogelo Sekgota has played in the PSL for BidVest Wits and now Swallows FC, he has shown enough evidence of why he went to Europe as a teenager. Sekgota is a livewire winger who has been justifying why he has been linked with a move to Kaizer Chiefs since the turn of the year. KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo finds out more about the 23-year-old, who is set for a massive future in the game.

ROMELU LUKAKU INTER MILAN

My Dream Team • Ricardo Katza was known for his longevity at SuperSport United, where he captained the team to three successive league titles under Gavin Hunt between 2008-2010. He retired in 2012, having also managed 19 Bafana Bafana caps. The 43-year-old has now picked a star-studded Dream XI that he believes would beat any team.

Bafana’s most mythical goals • There has has been no end of specially taken goals for South Africa in 395 matches since 1992, even if the national team these days disappoints far more than it delights. From David Nyathi’s rasping drive against Morocco in the suburbs of Ouagadougou, Thabo Mngomeni’s bicycle-kick against Congo in Point Noir to Thabo Matlaba’s stunner against the Central African Republic in WorldCup qualification in Cape Town, everyone has their Bafana favourite. But which have have been the most mythical goals for the national side–those thathavemarkedmajorhave major milestones, landmarks and news events in the events the 29-year history of the of the national team?...