SARR: PLUS: BAROKA S PSL PLAN MPHELA I M NOT FINISHED! MY FAREWELL GIFT TO BUCS YEARS OF SOCCER AT ITS BEST!

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July 2016 ISSUE NUMBER 471 R15.00 (VAT INCL.) R16.00 (FOREIGN COUNTRIES) NAMIBIA N$17.

1 July 2016 ISSUE NUMBER 471 R15.00 (VAT INCL.) R16.00 (FOREIGN COUNTRIES) NAMIBIA N$ YEARS OF SOCCER AT ITS BEST! SARR: MY FAREWELL GIFT TO BUCS PLUS: BAROKA S PSL PLAN MPHELA I M NOT FINISHED!

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EDS LETTER KICK OFF, PO Box 16368, Vlaeberg 8018 Tel: (021) 408 3525 Fax: (021) 408 3917 Email: forum@kickoff.com Website: www.kickoff.com Mobile: kickoff.

3 EDS LETTER KICK OFF, PO Box 16368, Vlaeberg 8018 Tel: (021) Fax: (021) Website: Mobile: kickoff.com/mobile Facebook: Kick Off Magazine KICK OFF TEAM ACTING EDITOR: Zola Doda DIGITAL EDITOR Ryan Cooper BRAND MANAGER Themba Mntambo REPORTERS Fabio De Dominicis, Chad Klate, Lovemore Moyo DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCERS Stephen Kihn, Mark Herman SENIOR DESIGNER Monique Petersen PRODUCTION MANAGER Kerry Nash CONTRIBUTORS: Stephen Charnas, Katherine Clulow, George Dearnaley, Ernest Fakude, Robin-Duke Madlala, Akho Ntshanga, Nick Said, The Secret Footballer, Andrew Young, Sibongiseni Zondi, Makhosonke Zuma FOUNDING EDITOR Mark Gleeson PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS & PUBLISHING GENERAL MANAGER, LIFESTYLE: Charlene Beukes MEDIA24 LIFESTYLE CFO: Raj Lalbahadur GENERAL MANAGER, LEISURE: Louise Meny-Gibert KICK OFF ADVERTISING SALES: BOXSMART MEDIA: Ulric Hargreaves Bryan Barnett FIVE-TWELVE MEDIA BROKERAGE: Paul Goddard ADVERTISING HEAD OF ADVERTISING SALES: Craig Nicholson CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS HEAD OF CIRCULATION: Gadija Gamaldien CIRCULATION MANAGER: Riaan Weyers SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER: Jenny Marinus ENQUIRIES AND RENEWALS: Outside of South Africa 27 (21) (tel) 27 (21) (fax) Our operating hours are: 08:00 to 17:00 from Monday to Friday Website: ALL SUBSCRIPTION PAYMENTS TO: Kick Off, PO Box 16428, Vlaeberg month subscription: R256 (incl. postage and VAT) PRINTING Paarl Media Cape DISTRIBUTION On The Dot, 2 Herb Street, Nieu Doornfontein, 2094 Copyright 1994 Touchline Media (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission. A STRANGE WAY TO DO BUSINESS The transfer window is one of the most exciting periods in any football fan s calendar, be it Africa, Europe or any corner of the globe. Big clubs go bigger, trying to bolster their squads; mid-table teams do their best to tie their stars into long-term contracts in order to ward off interest from the big guns; the so-called smaller teams wait for quality veterans to be released with the hope of snatching them at a bargain rate. This is all part of the hectic nature of the transfer window, and we all love it. But as exciting as this is, the transfer window in South African football is also a very strange time. While most clubs around the world secure their players with contracts long before existing ones come to an end, local clubs bizarrely wait until the end of an existing contract before finally rushing to the negotiation table. And when players refuse to commit or sign new deals, they are often labeled big-headed, selfish and money hungry. Why is this? Thus far no club official has been able to give me a good answer! Some examples: last season Kaizer Chiefs lost top defender Tefu Mashamaite and midfielder Mandla Masango, both of whom left on free transfers (the same almost happened with Itumeleng Khune and George Lebese!). Had Chiefs started negotiations with these players earlier, surely they would have been able to retain them? Alternatively, the sooner they realised the players were not going to sign, the earlier they would have been able to put them up for transfer, driving a better fee and therefore revenue for the club? Basic common sense, isn t it? But clearly common sense is not so common in this neck of the woods. The same thing happened this season when their reliable midfielder and our cover star Reneilwe Letsholonyane s contract came to an end, as did that of talented goalkeeper Reyaad Pieterse. Next season Yeye and Pieterse will team up with Stuart Baxter at SuperSport United, and the team will definitely be stronger for it. Mamelodi Sundowns have their own example at the time of writing, the Brazilians captain Ramahlwe Mphahlele (pictured) had 15 days remaining on his contract with the club. Since joining Sundowns from Moroka Swallows, Rama has been one of the most consistent and reliable players in a period when the club has experienced great success and yet Sundowns waited until his contract expired before starting negotiations? Coach Pitso Mosimane, who won almost every trophy with the club, didn t have a new contract when the group stages of the CAF Champions League kicked off. This is something that really baffles me. Hopefully sometime in the near future, PSL clubs will wake up and things will change! To change the subject to a much sadder note, this month we bid farewell to three influential coaches. Ted Dumitru, Stephen Keshi and Shaibu Amodu all passed away in May and June respectively. We pay tribute to the three icons on pages 50 to 53. Zola Doda, Acting Editor COMPETITION AND GIVEAWAY RULES 1. The judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. 2. The prizes are not transferable and may not be converted to cash. 3.Multiple entries will not be considered. 4. If possible, please supply a residential rather than a PO Box address, as entries sent by registered post will not be collected. 5. Staff members of Media24 (Ltd.), as well as their advertising agencies and immediate family members may not enter. 6. Winners indemnify and hold KICK OFF and Media24 (Ltd.) harmless against any liability, claim, damage or loss resulting from participation and winning of prizes. 7. By entering you agree to receive further communications and direct marketing materials from Media24 (Ltd.). 8. Letter of the month is chosen at the editor s discretion and the winner will be notified telephonically or via . news on your phone: kickoff.com/mobile JULY

4 PICTURE BY CLIVE ROSE/GETTY IMAGES 4 JULY 2016 visit

5 CONTENTS July 2016 French midfielder Dimitri Payet seals a late 2-1 win in his team s Euro 2016 opener against Romania. 6 The Statesman and the fresh crop We chat to Reneilwe Letsholonyane, and profile the type of players that Pirates and Chiefs need to sign 12 Moeneeb Slimkat Josephs speaks The Bidvest Wits keeper has plenty to say! 16 In the Clubhouse All the latest from behind the scenes at your club! 18 On the Ball Simba Marumo speaks his mind, all the PSL winners, and find out what Gary McNab is up to these days 26 Mr Reliable Tebogo Langerman on the challenges of working under Pitso, breaking into the first team, and his future at Sundowns 30 Aspirations beyond Anthony Laffor on why George Weah deserves his support 32 For the love of his club Issa Sarr on his love for Orlando Pirates 36 Wheel of Fortune We catch up with the former Manchester United and Bafana Bafana star Quinton Fortune 40 Killer and the Eagles Katlego Mphela is certainly no quitter... we chat to the former Kaizer Chiefs striker about life in the NFD 44 They had a dream From nowhere to the PSL... the story of Baroka FC s rise 50 Rest in Peace Farewell to Ted Dumitru, Stephen Keshi and Shaibu Amodu 54 African expansion Changes to the CAF African competition rules explained 58 Exclusive: Emmanuel Emenike From the streets of Johannesburg to football s biggest stadiums Emmanuel Emenike s remarkable story 62 A model of excellence Behind the scenes at the world s richest club, Real Madrid 66 Exclusive: Straight-talking Samir Manchester City star Samir Nasri talks coaches he likes, why he doesn t care what people think, and his new boots 69 Stuff We Like All the latest reads, fashion and gadgets for you! 70 Readers write Your views on the game s biggest talking points 72 Beat the player Test your knowledge against the stars 73 Laugh Out Loud with Prof The crazy world of footballers and fans 74 Secret Footballer Time waits for no footballer... news on your phone: kickoff.com/mobile JULY

PLUS CAN AMAKHOSI BRING BACK THE GLORY? I LIVE ON HANDOUTS WHAT SAFA IS DOING RIGHT: OUR R115M BASE CAMP REVEALED KEAGAN DOLLY: WESTBURY WONDERKID

PLUS CAN AMAKHOSI BRING BACK THE GLORY? I LIVE ON HANDOUTS WHAT SAFA IS DOING RIGHT: OUR R115M BASE CAMP REVEALED KEAGAN DOLLY: WESTBURY WONDERKID August 2016 ISSUE NUMBER 472 R15.00 (VAT INCL.) R16.00 (FOREIGN COUNTRIES) NAMIBIA N$17.50 22 YEARS OF SOCCER AT ITS BEST! CAN AMAKHOSI BRING BACK THE GLORY? www.kickoff.com PLUS WHAT SAFA IS DOING RIGHT: