Team SA girls come from behind to grab gold By GARY LEMKE in Lilongwe Team South Africa twice came from behind to win the girls under-17 football gold medal at the Region 5 Youth Games in Lilongwe, an event that doubled as a Cosafa Girls Championship encounter. Despite falling behind 2-1 and then 3-2, they refused to lie down and their character showed as they saw off Zambia 4-3 in a dramatic match watched by an ever-growing crowd. The fans had come to the Bingu National Stadium in Malawi to watch the girls and boys football finals and then stay for the closing ceremony of these...

Makalima to represent South Africa in FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand 2023 10 January 2023 – South African leading women referee Akhona Makalima is among the 12 elite African match officials appointed for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023. The Women’s World Cup will run from 20 July to 20 August.  The tough as nut Makalima has over the past few years proven her professionalism and dedication to the game and has officiated several FIFA and CAF tournaments. This will be the first FIFA Women’s World Cup assignment for the Eastern...

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 bid gets government support 11 January 2023 – South Africa’s interest in hosting the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup received another boost after the government expressed its support for the South African Football Association’s (SAFA) plans. Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa sent a letter to SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan saying the department is proud to support the Association’s expression of interest to bid to host the global showpiece.“At this stage of the process, this letter does not in any way mean, or cannot be...

FNB 13th most beautiful stadium in the world The Iconic FNB Stadium, has been named as the 13th most beautiful sports stadium in the world. In a thorough and wide-ranging analysis conducted by British based OLBG, the research was conducted through fans from across the globe as well as analysing Instagram hashtags. Considered the traditional home of South African football, the FNB hosted the opening and final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and has also hosted several global events since then. Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka, has been named the most beautiful sports stadium in...

2023 to be a great year for women’s Football – SAFA COO Monyepao 3 February 2023 – South African Football Association (SAFA) COO Lydia Monyepao is excited ahead of the kick-off of the 2023 Hollywoodbets Super League. Monyepao says she is looking forward to quality, competitive and exciting football as the Hollywoodbets Super League clubs have strengthened their ranks with some great players. She said the excitement will be heightened by the fact that the clubs will also be looking to attract the attention of Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis as she continues to prepare for the...

Ellis announces Banyana squad for this month’s Turkish Women’s Cup 6 February 2023 – Sasol Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has announced her squad for this month’s Turkish Women’s Cup. The tournament will be held from 13-23 February 2023 and the participants are hosts Turkey, Banyana Banyana,  Slovenia, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zambia. Ellis said she will use the matches against Turkey on Wednesday 15 February 2023, Uzbekistan on 18 February and and Venezuela on 21 February to address some of the shortcomings she identified during her team’s friendly internationals against...

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has appointed illustrious former referee Victor Gomes chair of SAFA Referees Committee. He takes over from SAFA vice-president Natasha Tsichlas. The appointment of Gomes is in line with world football governing body FIFA’s requirement that the chair of the Referees Committee must be a former elite referee. At a SAFA NEC meeting held at Radisson Hotel in Kempton Park on Friday, 17 February 2023, the NEC mandated CEO Advocate Tebogo Motlanthe to refer media enquiries from Amabhungane to the SAFA Ethics Committee headed by retired Judge Sisi...

Banyana Banyana awarded silverware after their Turkish Women’s Cup triumph 22 February 2023 – African champions Banyana Banyana received their trophy and medals after they were officially crowned as the Group A winners of the Turkish Women’s Cup on Wednesday. Evima Football, the organisers of the tournament held in Antaly, Turkey, confirmed to www.safa.net that coach Desiree Ellis’ charges won their group on goal difference after beating Uzbekistan 3-0 on Saturday (18 February 2023), and drawing 1-1 with eventual runners-up Slovenia on Tuesday afternoon (21 February 2023). Both matches...

BSI Football Academy U17 team On Friday 24 February 2023, the BSI Football Academy U17 team competed in the Olympia FC, preseason tournament and came away as champions. It was a great experience for the BSI players to showcase their skills against the other local football clubs. The results went well but also the style that was played showed the hard work put in on the training ground is paying off.  It was a round-robin tournament with a league points format used, to determine the overall winner. The BSI Youth Development players went unbeaten in the five games they played, winning...

Mamelodi Sundowns initiates an immediate investigation into the alleged remarks and conduct of its employee MARCH 15, 2023 It has come to the attention of Mamelodi Sundowns that certain remarks that its employee Khaled Ali, may have made during a social media discussion relating to Al Ahly and Al Hilal may be contrary to the ethics, governance and rules of Mamelodi Sundowns. Mamelodi Sundowns views these alleged remarks and conduct in a very serious light and is launching an immediate investigation to get exposed to the true facts. Khaled has been instructed to return...

ADIDAS LAUNCHES THE PARLEY PACK – ITS FIRST FOOTBALL BOOT PACK DESIGNED TO HELP REDUCE PLASTIC WASTE South Africa, 15th March 2023 – Today adidas proudly launches the adidas Football x Parley Boot Pack – the first ever to be made in part with Parley Ocean Plastic, re-imagined plastic waste, intercepted on remote islands, beaches, coastal communities and shorelines, preventing it from polluting our ocean. Boasting stunning lucid blue and white colourways and elegant wave-patterned designs spanning all of its key boot franchises - Predator Accuracy, X Speedportal and Copa Pure - the new...

Congo (U23)………….(0)0 South Africa (U23)…(0)0 aggregate (1-1) The South African Under-23national team’s dream of playing at the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco later this year came to an end after a 0-0 draw with Congo-Brazzaville in an away second leg qualifier extinguished all hope on Monday. Notoane made four changes to the starting lineup that played in the 1-1 draw against the Congolese in the first leg at Dobsonville a few days ago, but this was not enough to ease past a determined home side that...

29 March 2023 – The South African Football Association (SAFA) wishes to congratulate Bafana Bafana for qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire in January next year. We at SAFA are proud of coach Hugo Broos and his players’ achievement after all of their hard work in the last few months. They have worked tirelessly and will now line up against the continent’s best national teams in Côte d’Ivoire after beating Liberia 2-1 in Monrovia on Tuesday night (28 March 2023) to qualify for the AFCON. The Nation sighed with relief as Broos’ charges withstood the pressure during...

5 June 2023 – Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has announced a preliminary 36-member squad for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The SASOL-sponsored South African senior women’s national team will go into camp in Johannesburg on 12 June 2023 and all the players have a chance to impress the coach before the final list for the global tournament is announced later this month. Ellis told www.safa.net that selecting the preliminary squad was one of the most difficult tasks she has ever had to do as South African senior women’s national...

As part of the busy calendar for women’s football on the African continent, CAF has confirmed the draw dates for the U17 Women’s FIFA World Cup and U20 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Qualifiers. Both draws will take place at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo on Thursday, 08 June 2023 at 13h00 local time (10h00 GMT). The draws will officially kick off the road to the two 2024 women’s football global events. For the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup™, a total of 25 nations will be involved in the drawing of lots, while 35 have been confirmed for the U20 edition. Qualifiers for both...

Broos names final 23-man Bafana squad for Morocco AFCON clash 8 June 2023– After days of speculation by the media and the public, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos finally unveiled the final list of players he will send out to represent South Africa in the mouthwatering 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against World Cup semi-finalists Morocco this month. Broos’ charges, who have already achieved qualification for the AFCON finals in Ivory Coast next year, take on the Atlas Lions on Saturday 17 June 2023 at the FNB Stadium. The match will get underway at 17h00. The...

The draw for the 2023 ABC Motsepe National Playoffs semi-finals was conducted at the end of Day 3 action at Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg. Upington City will battle it out against Mpheni Home Defenders in the opening semi-final on Friday, 9 June 2023, while the home side Umsinga United will face Orbit College in the second semi-final. These will be played at 11h00 and 15h00 respectively at Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg and will be broadcast live on SABC Sport Channel, Channel 124 on Openiew and the DTT platforms. Umsinga United were the first side to secure a ticket...

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has expressed its sadness at the loss of one of the country’s most iconic sports personalities. News of Clive Barker’s death at the age of 78 has been received with heavy hearts by South Africa’s sports governing body. The announcement of the former Bafana Bafana coach’s passing was made on Saturday. Said the president of SASCOC, Mr. Barry Hendricks: “Clive Barker was one of the most influential sports figures of his generation. He united a country when he coached Bafana Bafana to African Cup of Nations glory in 1996...

  15 June 2023 – As a member of the class of ‘96 team, I have worked with Mr. Clive Barker, and I am deeply saddened by his passing on. I am sure that my class of ‘96 teammates, friends and brothers are feeling the same way as I do. I know that all football-loving people in the country, in the continent and across the world are with us in this feeling. We are saddened by the passing away of our mentor, our coach and father. He called us his boys, he loved and cared for us and we loved him too. I am positive that anyone who knew, met, or interacted with Clive has felt his warmth,...

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has announced Tumi Dlamini as the chairperson of the country’s 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Bid Committee. Following a SAFA NEC meeting held in Nasrec on Saturday (17 June 2023), the Association’s CEO Lydia Monyepao also confirmed the appointment of veteran administrator Russell Paul as the Bid Lead of the Committee. CAF Vice President Kanizat Ibrahim, FIFA Council member Isha Johansen and SAFA Vice President Anastasia Tsichlas were announced as Bid Committee members.Former SAFA President Dr Molefi Oliphant has also been announced as a member...