Before Pelé, The Beautiful Game Was Just Pretty

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For many of the younger generation, Pelé is just an icon. The Brazilian master, who passed away aged 82 on the 29th of December 2022, played football long before many of us were born.  But such was the impact that Edson Arantes do Nascimento had on football, that his four-letter nickname is synonymous with The Beautiful Game. Actually, before Pelé, it was just the ‘pretty game’, it took artists like the three-time World Cup winner to upgrade it. Personally, it was Hollywood that introduced me to the world’s first superstar. Growing up, my mom owned the now-extinct business of a

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Zwane Opens Up On Chiefs Trialist Decisions

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Kaizer Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane has opened up on their recent decisions to rope in trialists since his appointment as head coach. After signing the current top scorer of the DStv Premiership Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana and Edmilson Dove after trial periods, Chiefs have opted to go the same route for the January window. The likes of Bradley Cross were not signed but Balint Bajner, Christian Saile Bambouli, Maurizio Macorig, Neymar Canhembe, and Stanley Ratifo were all invited to the Village for assessments in recent weeks. While Amakhosi have yet to make an official signing of those invited to train and prove their worth – something

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Ramovic Finally Relieved as Galaxy Ends 12 Games Of Winless Streak

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Finally TS Galaxy ended their 12 matches of winless streak as they beat Maritzburg United 2-1 at Harry Gwala Stadium on Friday and coach Sead Ramovic says the pressure was starting to mount on him to change the club’s fortunes. Galaxy have been struggling to win of late with the last time they collected the three points was against SuperSport United in August. They also beat Mamelodi Sundowns before that game to go top of the DStv Premiership standings. In beating those two Tshwane giant sides, Galaxy also went five games without conceding a goal, before that was broken by

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AmaZulu Provide Update On Maluleka

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AmaZulu head coach Romain Folz has suggested that there are no serious concerns over midfielder George Maluleka. The veteran midfielder went down with what seemed a serious incident as he received treatment for around six minutes in their 0-0 draw with Sekhukhune United. With fans, teammates, and supporters at the Peter Mokaba all concerned about his well-being, it was a surprise to see the player return back to the pitch to finish the game. But Folz has claimed it may have been just getting used to the pace of the game after a month’s break in competitive league action for

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Ex-Downs And Bafana Midfielder Retires

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Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Matthew Pattison has retired from professional football at the age of 36. Pattisson enjoyed a career that spanned over nearly two decades, having made his senior professional debut with Newcastle United in the Premier League back in 2005. A spell at Norwich followed two years later, where he starred for two seasons before joining Mamelodi Sundowns – with the view of breaking into the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad. While he was included in training squads prior to the global, the robust midfielder failed to make the final 23-man squad for the historic tournament. But he

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Zwane: Chiefs Prioritise Striker Over Blom Replacement

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Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane says they won’t sign a replacement for Njabulo Blom just for the sake of signing. Zwane also hinted that he has enough players in the pivot area, as Samkelo Zwane made his first start in the 2-0 win over Golden Arrows at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday. He also said that he can count on Njabulo Ngcobo, who came late in the game and played in that position. Blom was sold a couple of weeks ago, joining St Louis City in the MLS, to end what was turning out to be a nasty relationship

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Ex-Sundowns Striker Meza Back In The Country

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Former Mamelodi Sundowns forward Jose Ali Meza is now training with Maritzburg United. The 31-year-old has been without a team since June 2022 after parting ways with Bolivian side Always Ready FC. Meza was previously in the books of Sundowns where he made 38 appearances in all competitions and scored on three occasions. The Venezuelan international won two league titles and a Telkom Knockout with the Tshwane giants before making a move to the Team of Choice. Sources close to the club confirmed to iDiski Times that it’s been two weeks since he returned to Maritzburg where he’s impressed under

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Mokwena On Jali Contract Talks

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Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has highlighted the importance of Andile Jali for his side after being asked about the player’s contract situation. Jali, 32, enters the final six months of his Masandawana contract on 1 January and would be free to sign with any side. His agent, Mike Makaab recently stated that they will hold talks and aim “to find a solution with Sundowns” – but nothing has been announced since. With Jali’s future seemingly in limbo, Mokwena discussed his importance to the club – on and off the field. “AJ is a very important player for us,”

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