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2003


HELLENIC SELL AT END OF AN ERA

South Africa's oldest professional club Hellenic have sold their premier league status to a club in the first division but ironically could be back in top flight football next season in what seems a clever piece of business.
Greek-owned club Hellenic, one of the last clubs left over from the days of whites-only professional soccer in South Africa, have swapped assets with Premier United, a first division team based in the gold mining town of Welkom in the Free State province and owned by a black family in a deal worth R5-million (about US$700 000).
Hellenic played their last game in Cape Town on Wednesday night, drawing 2-2 with Lamontville Golden Arrows to remain firmly rooted to the bottom of the table.
Premier United will now take over Hellenic's place in the top flight of South African soccer while Hellenic will get United's berth in the first division.
League rules allow for the sale of a franchise during the season but do not allow a change of club names until the season is completed.
So, Hellenic will remain in the top flight in name only, although their colours, personnel and home ground will all be totally differently.
The new owners are taking a major gamble as the club sit seven points from a position of safety outside the relegation zone, at the halfway point of the season, and are firm favourties for the drop down to the first division.
Premier United's franchise, however, is fourth in the first division, with every chance of promotion in May. It means Hellenic's owners could well be back in the top flight in August, once the name changes are effected, while their previous franchise drops down a division.
Hellenic's sale comes after years of dwindling spectator support and perennial battles against relegation, the club victims of changing times in South African sport and society.
At their height in the 1960s and 1970s, the Cape Town club regularly attracted crowds of around 40,000 and had players like George Best, Gordon Banks and former England captain Bobby Moore guesting for them. They were champions in 1971, the same year a rival black professional league was first created. But when the white and black leagues amalgamated in 1976, support for clubs like Hellenic dwindled dramatically as white supporters stayed away from mixed soccer.
All of the country's formerly white-only teams, who had established professional soccer in South Africa in 1958, are now extinct, sold off either to black businessmen in a delicious twist of irony or just gone out of business.
The only survivor from the era of colour prejudice is Wits University, who were in the second divison of the white league in 1975 before the racial barriers came down.
Soccer was one of the first sports to break down apartheid barriers, but it took another 16 years before the country was allowed back into international football following the end of white minority rule.

Mpakanyane for Vasco da Gama
By Thabang Matjama

Likoena and former Hellenic's speedy striker, Paballo Mpakanyane is hoping to sign with South African coastal stream first division outfit, Vasco da Gama after being released by Hellenic two weeks ago.
The 23-year old striker failed to cut into the first team at Hellenic after signing at the beginning of the season, a move that prompted the Greek Gods to consider him a surplus, along with former African Wanderers hit man, Phumlani Mkhize.
Mpakanyane was released before Hellenic boss, Elia Hadjidakis struck a premiership status swap deal with a top Gauteng tycoon, Dumisani Ndlovu who heads former Inland Stream first division side, Premier United.
The speedster said this week he fancied chances of joining da Gama after having two unsuccessful spells in the PSL. Mpakanyane first had a stint with former PSL side Classic who were relegated two seasons ago. "At the moment I am just training with the club with the hope of signing with them. I was shunned by luck at Hellenic and I will want to quickly forget about that unsuccessful spell and work hard to get another chance in South Africa," he said this week.
Mpakanyane said he would know his fate on Thursday when he meets Vasco da Gama management.
If he fails to catch some eye on the South African soil, Mpakanyane is likely to rejoin Arsenal who shuttling in mid-table log standings in the Lesotho Premier League.


MASHABA COURT ACTION POSTPONED

South African coach Ephraim Mashaba took the country’s football association to court on Tuesday in an effort to reclaim his job before the start of the African Nations Cup finals.
But his urgent interdict in the Johannesburg High Court was postponed until Thursday, throwing the preparations for the South African side into further turmoil before their scheduled departure for Tunisia on Friday.
Mashaba was attempting set aside a seven day suspension handed to him by the South African Football Association last Wednesday (CORRECT) for allegedly breaching the terms of his contract, including failure to monitor the form of the country’s foreign-based footballers and failing to promote the image of the association. Mashaba argued in court papers that the suspension made it impossible “for me to comply with contractual requirements to remedy the alleged breaches”.
The coach had been told to change the composition of the squad he named for the tournament last month, which omitted many of the country’s key foreign based players but did include the English-based striker George Koumantarakis, the Preston North End striker who has been out with injury since March.
But while the issue of Mashaba’s position still has to be thrashed out, South Africa have only until Wednesday midnight to submit their final list of players for the tournament to the Confederation of African Football.
Koumantarakis has been dropped from the list and there are injury doubts around Steven Pienaar, the Ajax Amsterdam midfielder.
Attempts to persuaded FC Porto striker Benni McCarthy and Charlton Athletic’s Shaun Bartlett to go back on their premature international retirement have also been rejected by the players.
South Africa are in group D at the Nations Cup finals along with Nigeria, Morocco and Benin, who they play in their opening game on January 27.



MAURITIUS SHOCK BAFANA BAFANA

South Africa suffered a further setback after a week of chaotic preparations, beaten 2-0 by Mauritius in the Cosafa Castle Cup on Saturday.
The surprise loss to the Indian Ocean islanders followed the suspension of coach Ephraim Mashaba earlier this week and left the country's squad in crisis just two weeks before the start of the African Nations Cup finals in Tunisia.
The cup tie in the annual regional competition was designed to be an easy preparatory game for South Africans ahead of their departure to the Nations Cup but backfired as the lowly-ranked Mauritius scored twice in the second half to claim a major scalp.
South Africa's Russian-based defender Jacob Lekgetho put past his own goalkeeper eight minutes into the second half attempting to clear a harmless-looking cross from Gilbert Bayaram.
Mauritius, who crowded the midfield and effectively dealt with South Africa's wingers, added a second on the counter attack in the 81st minute through Christopher Perle.
"It's the biggest win in Mauritius soccer history," said coach Rajesh Gunesh, taking charge of his first match. "We out thought them tactically and deserved to win."
South Africa traveled with just 16 players to the island under caretaker coach Styles Phumo, who took over on Thursday, but have drawn heavy criticism by also taking 18 officials along with them.
Mashaba was suspended on Wednesday by the South African Football Association, who accused him of being in breach of his contract.
Mashaba's terse relationship with key overseas-based players plus his failure to keep tabs on the performance of South African players in Europe were cited as the reasons for his suspension.
South Africa are set to go to the Nations Cup finals without five key players who have made themselves unavailable, including Manchester United's Quinton Fortune and the FC Porto striker Benni McCarthy.
Officials said a final decision on the coach would be made before Friday, when the South Africans are set to depart for Tunisia via Senegal, where they will play another warm-up match.


BAFANA SEEK TO GET OVER CONTROVERSY

South Africa say they are confident they can put aside the controversial sidelining of coach Ephraim Mashaba this week and continue their African Nations Cup preparations, which start in earnest with a match in Mauritius on Saturday.
Acting coach Styles Phumo and captain John Moshoeu on Friday both said the departure of Mashaba, suspended for seven days in what is emerging as a prelude to his dismissal, had had little effect on the squad.
"I have been with the team all the time as assistant coach so there is a continuity there for the players," said Phumo ahead of the Cosafa Castle Cup first round match against Mauritius in Curepipe. "I've told the players to forget all the headlines and the speculation and concentrate on the preparations," added.
Moshoeu, the 38-year-old midfield who will equal the record for the most international appearances by a South African on Saturday, said he and his teammates were more focused on winning places in the starting line-up for the country's first match at the Nations Cup finals against Benin on January 27. "We are all playing for places in the team and this is our chance to show that we deserve to be in the side. We have not been bothered by change of coach at all," he said.
Mashaba was suspended on Wednesday by the South African Football Association, who accused him of being in breach of his contract. Mashaba's terse relationship with key overseas-based players plus his failure to keep tabs on the performance of South African players in Europe were cited as the reasons for his suspension.
Officials traveling with the South African side, who did not want to be named, said the suspension was a precursor to Mashaba's dismissal next week. "He has alienated our top players and thereby weekend the team," said one official, who was party to the decision earlier this week.
South Africa are set to go to the Nations Cup finals without five key players who have made themselves unavailable, including Manchester United's Quinton Fortune and the FC Porto striker Benni McCarthy.
South Africa arrived in Mauritius in Thursday with just 15 of the players set to go to Tunisia. Goalkeeper Wayne Roberts, who belatedly discovered his passport had expired before departure, was due to arrive on the eve of the game. The rest of the Nations Cup squad is expected to assemble in Johannesburg on Monday.


ARENDSE WITHDRAWS FROM SA SQUAD

Andre Arendse has withdrawn from the South African squad to travel to Mauritius on Thursday for the weekend's Cosafa Castle Cup match but Wits University defender Neil Winstanley is a late call-up.
South Africa will travel to the Indian Ocean island with only 16 players for Saturday's first round tie which marks the start of the 2004 tournament.
All players, save for Winstanley, have been named in the squad to go to the African Nations Cup finals later this month, but the situation is now uncertain after the suspension on Wednesday of coach Ephraim Mashaba.
Styles Phumo takes over in charge of the side.
Also out of Saturday's match is Bafana Bafana captain Mbulelo Mabizela, striker George Koumantararkis, Siyabonga Nomvete from Udinese and French-based defender Thabang Molefe.
Arendse withdrew earlier this week because he is required by Sundowns for their match against Jomo Cosmos at the weekend.


ZIMBABWE DUPED BY FAKE TEAM

Zimbabwe's scheduled international friendly with El Salvador in Harare on Wednesday was cancelled after the visiting team were discovered to be fake, officials said.
The El Salvadorian side played a goalless draw with Zimbabwe in the first of two scheduled internationals in Harare last Sunday as part of Zimbabwe's preparations for the upcoming African Nations Cup finals.
But the second game was canceled after reporters uncovered the fact that the team bore no relation to the real El Salvadorian national side and were in fact a hastily-assembled squad of club players, put together by an Italian sportswear company who are sponsoring Zimbabwe's kit for the upcoming tournament in Tunisia.
The visiting side left Harare before Wednesday's game and an investigation has been ordered, officials said.
Zimbabwe are due to participate in the Nations Cup finals for the first time. They have been drawn in the same opening round group as defending champions Cameroon and former winners Algeria and Egypt.
Zimbabwe are due to play a friendly against Zambia on January 18 before leaving for the Nations Cup finals in Tunisia.


SOUTH AFRICA SUSPEND COACH

South Africa have suspended their coach Ephraim Mashaba just weeks before the start of the African Nations Cup in the latest twist in a long-standing saga over his team selection, officials said on Wednesday.
Mashaba was a given a seven day suspension after a meeting with the South African Football Association on Wednesday where he came in for heavy criticism over his relationship with key players who have been left out of the team for the tournament in Tunisia.
He is being replaced for the weekend' Cosafa Castle Cup match in Mauritius by his assistant Styles Phumo and could lose his job before the tournament tin Tunis unless he recalls the likes of Manchester United's Quinton Fortune and others who have fallen out with the coach in recent months, officials said.
Mashaba was taken to task over his failure to accommodate requests by FC Porto striker Benni McCarthy and the Charlton Athletic defender Mark Fish that they be allowed to stay with their respective European clubs until just before the kick off the finals on January 24.
Both players had asked to be allowed to skip most of the 14 day training camp ahead of the finals in order to stay at their clubs. But Mashaba refused insisting that both players report on January 10, the start of the two week period before the tournament allowed by FIFA.
Fish withdrew from the squad and McCarthy announced his retirement from international football, provoking heavy criticism of Mashaba by his employers in recent weeks.
Mashaba also did not select Fortune after the two fell out in April when Fortune withdrew from a friendly match against Jamaica.
The coach met with officials on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the impasse, after which the suspension was announced.
It is not the first time that Mashaba has been sideline over his team selection. In May, he was sidelined for the match against England after officials were unhappy with jhis team selection, which again ignored the majority of the country's foreign-based players.
Mashaba took a strong stand against players like Leeds United's Lucas Radebe and Fortune, who had pulled out of earlier international commitments.


CLUB M NAME SQUAD

Mauritius’ squad to face South Africa in the Cosafa Castle Cup first round match at Curepipe on Saturday:

Goalkeepers: Jean-Francois Ammomootoo (AS Port Louis 2000), Nicolas Doro (Pamplemousse SC)
Defenders: Guillano Edoaurd (US Beau-Bassin/Rose Hill), Stefan L’Enfle, Cyrille Mourgine, Henri Speville (all AS Port Louis 2000)
Midfielders: Gilbert Bayaram (AS Port Louis 2000), Sebastien Bax (Santos, South Africa), Colin Bell (Faucon Flacq SC), Jimmy Cundasami (St Louisienne, Reunion), Kervin Godon (AS Port Louis 2000), Jerry Louis (St Denis, Reunion), Ricardo Naboth (Jeanne d’Arc, Reunion), Desire Periatambee (Le Mans, France), Ashik Punchoo (Faucon Flacq SC)
Strikers: Kersley Appou (AS Port Louis 2000), Tony Francois (US Beau-Bassin/Rose Hill), Christopher Perle (La Passe, Seychelles).



ZAMBIAN FOOTBALLER SENT TO JAIL

A Zambian footballer spent 28 days in solitary confinement at an army barracks as punishment for absconding from his military club and going to South Africa for soccer trials, the BBC reported on Friday.

Striker Linos Chalwe was released this week after spending almost a month locked up by the Zambian military after leaving for trials at the Cape Town club Hellenic.

The 24-year-old left without permission after his club, Green Buffaloes, refused to allow him to travel to South Africa where he had been offered a chance at a professional contrcat.

Chalwe, who is a soldier by trade, told the BBC he had been forced to do manual labour during his solitary confinement for being leaving without permission and had missed Christmas celebrations with his family.

The club’s chairman Lt Colonel Diamond Chimnona defended the action, telling reporters Chalwe was a soldier and had been punished for being absent without leave.

Chalwe was not signed by the South African premier league club after two separate trials.

Green Buffaloes play in this year’s African Confederation Cup after finishing as runners-up in the Zambian premier league in November.