Al Masry SC news

Amakhosi find themselves stretched in attack, with only three of their seven forwards available for Sunday’s showdown against their Egyptian opponents. The shortage raises concern, especially with one of their key available strikers having struggled for form this season. He has still made the trip and attention will be on him to see if he can rediscover his scoring touch if selected to play

The Glamour Boys are enjoying a good season domestically and abroad, where they are pushing for glory in top competitions, which will, hopefully, kick-start their path to recovery following a decade-long struggle. Amakhosi will be playing in Egypt this weekend in Group D of the CAF Confederation Cup, hoping to get the best possible start.

The defending Premier Soccer League champions are known for their untamed appetite for good and quality players to continue challenging for top honours domestically and abroad. They have recently been linked to the Bafana Bafana centre-back, who has been growing from strength to strength since leaving the Glamour Boys.

The Cape Town Spurs' product has settled well at the Glamour Boys after his controversial move a couple of weeks ago. The 22-year-old is set to make his first-ever appearance in CAF Inter-Club competitions this weekend as the Soweto giants tackle the Green Eagles in Suez, hoping to get maximum points in Group D.

Amakhosi are in Egypt for their CAF Confederation Cup Group D clash against Al Masry at Suez Stadium on Sunday. The Soweto giants' sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr acknowledges the tough challenge that awaits them in North Africa as they are chasing their first continental trophy since 2001, when they lifted the CAF Cup Winners' Cup.

Three Amakhosi players who were part of the club’s pre-season tour of the Netherlands had raised hopes they would become central figures in the first team this season. However, the players failing to play first-team football suggests they have taken steps back in their development after such early promise. It also casts doubt on whether the Soweto giants are nurturing quality talent as expected, highlighting concerns about how effectively the club transitions academy prospects into the first team. That might see Chiefs having to rethink their entire player development strategy.

The Soweto giants, who are drawn in a challenging Group D of the CAF Confederation Cup alongside Zamalek, ZESCO United, and Al Masry, have made the necessary preparations for their next fixtures during the international break. Confident, the Phefeni side believes they have what it takes to tackle the highly anticipated tough battles ahead.

The 25-year-old defender made a surprising switch from arch-rivals Orlando Pirates earlier in the season, but his journey at Kaizer Chiefs has been overshadowed by recurring injury setbacks. Despite this, his quality is evident whenever he steps onto the pitch. Monyane remains hopeful that he will eventually earn another opportunity to don the South African jersey and compete for his rightful place in the Bafana setup.

There’s no doubt, Mzansi football is on the up. One just needs to take one look at the performances of Bafana Bafana over the last few years. Since Hugo Broos took charge, the national team has improved significantly, and the recent nominations of SA players at the CAF Awards were a testament to that fact. 

Amakhosi have been under pressure to produce players who go on to take South African football by storm. A number of their players have come close to reaching that, while others are still on their way to becoming big. The likes of Mfundo Vilakazi and Mduduzi Shabalala are still on the rise, with a lot of promise in them. However, others like Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and Wandile Duba cannot be ruled out from improving to fulfil the promise they showed.

Amakhosi co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef have a wide range of players to make the starting team, explaining why a few new players have not tasted competitive football despite joining the Soweto giants months ago. The tacticians have been urged to consider a former Portuguese-based left-back who has been in the cold since he joined The Glamour Boys back in July.

The Premier Soccer League has acknowledged the efforts to introduce the technology-aided officiating system, but has raised fundamental questions. The funding model remains a key issue of concern for the league, and according to Khoza, PSL cannot make any contribution on the matter at this juncture. PSL's stance comes at a time when there is a raging debate on what VAR model to implement and when to do it.

The South Africa legend and former Manchester United coach was humiliated with his East African team against the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations champions, the Lions of Teranga, in an international outing staged in Turkey. It was a wake-up call for the 48-year-old who is expected to be at the helm when the country host the 2027 biennial competition.