MY UNPATRIOTIC BONE

My late dad was very competitive. He was what we call stubborn person. He stood for what is right but in most cases for what he believes in. he was not perfect like any human being but I learned a lot from him even though you only realize what you’ve learned from a person when they no longer here.

Me and my twin were born Chiefs fans, diehard fans. We would cry every time Chiefs lost but he never cared because he was a Pirates fan. The fact that we were in pain made him be more ruthless to get his comments through about our “useless”, and he never ever suggested that we join his team; he always wanted us to be with our team. He understood what rivals mean and he got taught us that. He was not educated, but he was smart and he taught us so much. My dad was also never the biggest soccer fan, I don’t think he was a fan at all but he knew how we love our soccer and Chiefs and developed a knack for knowing when Chiefs lost and Pirates won. I think he liked Pirates, not that he would miss going to have his usual drinks or afternoon sleep, no, those were more important to him than this soccer thing. He just loves seeing his team and our team losing so he can have a field day. In all the years I’ve known him, I have never ever heard him sympathize with us about Chiefs, he was a Pirates follower through and through.

The Glamour Boys

I cannot remember any time in my life from the day I was born that I was never a Chiefs fan. I’d rather be angry with them, criticize them and threaten to leave but never did. My relationship with the black and gold is too deep to see it for a couple of bones. While writing this, I’m seeing a repeat of Real Madrid and Barcelona game, how the supporters hate each other, how the players go for it, how intense, this is a rivalry indeed. I’ve been told Pirates is representing South Africa in the CAF Confed cup finals, well they come from here yes but it don’t mean they represent me, they represent the bones. Bafana Bafana, Banyana, Amaglug-glug, Amajimbos, and all the others that I failed to mention they represent South Africa, me. The other day Spain was playing against England and the match had to be moved from Santiago Bernabeu because there were fears that Gerard Pique with be abused by fans of Real after he joked last season after winning the treble. Real Fans still remembered and it don’t matter if you’re representing your national team or not, as for me I do accept Pirates players representing our national team, I’m not going to hope they win Confed Cup. i\m not SABC or Supersport, I’m not Sowetan or The Times, I know I’m not Kickoff or Soccer Laduma, I’m Fani and I will never sell my soul to the dead.

Etoile Sohel, champions in waiting

This cup must go back to Tunisia with Etoile Sahel and as for Pirates, I hope they miss all the trophies this season, I hope they go empty handed. You can quote me on that. All I know is that all those who are saying, “oh but they represent our country”, well wait until they win it, they are going to bring it up in every conversation about local soccer. The was a time when they went years without cup before Rudi Krol won them some treble, when supporters of teams that won cup recently would be in a conversation, a Pirates supporter would interfere, “We won Champions League in 1995”, it was over 10 years ago.

I learned my lesson. They did well to get there but I’m afraid this “patriotic” BS stops here.

I wish you a loss.

Sincerely Yours

Your Biggest Hater 

26 GOAL MAN

LESLEY MANYATHELA

Since the beginning of the PSL in 1996, I don’t remember South African football being in a better state than it is at the moment. We’ve seen Bernard Parker, Nasief Morris and Benni McCarthy coming back to South Africa. Last season leading goal scorer has left our shores for German out fit TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and he was replaced by another goal scoring machine from Amazulu, Lehlohonolo Majoro and was later joined by Bernard Parker from FC Twente in Holland.

The league sponsor, ABSA, has set a 26 goal target for the top goal scorer. Since Chiefs brought both Majoro and Parker into their team, Pirates went a step further; they brought in one man whose experience is probably better than those of the two Chiefs players combined. It’s fair to say that, with all the preseason signings by the treble winners, including this one, they look more determined to defend all their trophies. They aim to go even further than last season.
But the signing of Benni is very much interesting.

BENNI McCARTHY

After spending most of the time with Ajax Cape Town, he joined Pirates. For me it made sense, no big player would chose Ajax over Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates here in South Africa. He played in Europe for the past 14 years and he’s arguably the most successful South African footballer over the past decade and half. But here is where everything gets interesting, the last time Pirates had a leading goal scorer was in 2002/03 season with the late Lesley Manyathela doing it for them. Since then we’ve seen the PSL top-scorer award being named the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot Award but Pirates has never had a player claiming this award.
Manyathela managed to score 18 goals (22 in all competitions after promising the chairman to score as many goals as his shirt number) and since then we’ve seen midfielders and defenders do it for Pirates. Last season was no different. Isaac Chansa, Tlou Segolela and Thulasizwe Mbuyane scored regularly to seal the league for them. Mind you there were six strikers who managed to score not more than 4 goals. The last Pirates’ strikers to get into the double figures were ­Phumudzo Manenzhe and Excellent Walaza in the 2004/05 and 2006/07 seasons respectively, when they found the back of the net 10 times and Benedict Vilakazi got to 13 in 2003/04, since then there has never been anyone good enough to get to 18. One feels that Pirates still have a debt to pay; they still have to win the top-scorer award in memory of Lesley ‘Slow Poison’ Manyathela.

I’m not even going to try to give you the figures of Benni’s career that will just be a challenge in itself, but the question remains, does he still got it in him to score 15 goals or is he the 26 goal man. He is 33 and his international career speaks for itself. He has already scored his first goal, 25 more to go. Can Benni do it for Phuti, the story continues.