The 2025 CAF Awards ceremony was held on Wednesday in Morocco, with a South African team and footballers being part of the final nominees. The glittering event drew the continent’s finest football personalities under one roof and the strong South African presence might highlight the country's influence and contribution to football on the continent.
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.
After they were eliminated, the Soweto giants complained to the continental governing body. At the centre of the Bucs' complaints was the ineligibility question of two Saint-Eloi players and their head coach, Guy Bukasa. With the judgement out, the DR Congo can now fully focus on their next game against Mamelodi Sundowns.
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 Democratic Republic of Congo outfit got past the Buccaneers in the second preliminary round to make the next phase of the annual continental club competition. They have now been pooled with the defending Premier Soccer League champions, hoping to finish in the top two positions and make the knockout hurdle.
The 27-year-old is making waves in Spain with his impressive performances for his second-tier club. He has continued with his growing hunger to get into the goal-scoring mix and make his mark in the league. While the Golden Boot remains a distant dream, he is promising to get himself into the mix should he continue with consistent displays. After parting ways with Sundowns unceremoniously, the attacker is showing why he was so keen for a move away from Chloorkop.
Every time the celebrated South African tactician takes on a new responsibility, he moves further away from the ‘dream’ union with one of Mzansi’s most famous clubs - Chiefs. If you ask just about any Chiefs fan who is the man they would prefer to occupy the hot seat, the most common answer would be none other than Mosimane.
The Premier Soccer League side has found itself in FIFA's hot soup after failing to pay their all-time leading scorer, whom they controversially parted ways with in May. This is a huge blow for the club because the ban will deny them a chance to sign new players and strengthen in order to remain competitive. However, they have a chance of cleaning up the mess if they settle the money owed to the Zimbabwean star.
Due to the Mokoena suspension case, FIFA deducted Bafana's three points, putting their World Cup qualification in a very precarious position. However, South Africa eventually qualified despite the sanction coming in September, just before South Africa's final two critical fixtures. The star, who was at the centre of the controversy, has now opened up on how the issue affected him and his family.
The duo has been working effectively at the Soweto giants, hoping to end the Premier Soccer League drought that has lasted more than a decade, as well as winning other domestic competitions in South Africa. The former Morocco international has settled well in the team after succeeding Spaniard Jose Riveiro, who had served Bucs for three years.
Mzansi football has been on the rise in the last couple of years, and last season was no different, as clubs reached the latter stages of CAF inter-club competitions. South Africa has also been doing well across all tournaments, which saw top players and teams get nominated for prestigious continental awards.
To boost the level of refereeing in the league, calls for the urgent implementation of VAR have intensified. The government's stance comes a day after the South African Football Association's new project leader for the VAR management team, Daniel Bennett, cautioned against VAR lite. SA lags behind in the implementation of this project, as countries like Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia have adopted the full VAR systems for their competitions.
The experienced tactician is well-travelled continentally and overseas, where he has coached some top teams and won titles. He is one of the coaches who are highly rated in Africa owing to his achievements both at the Premier Soccer League giants Mamelodi Sundowns and Egyptian heavyweights Al Ahly, where he won major titles.
The South African men’s senior national team took things to the next level over the past weekend, defeating Zambia 3–1 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in a friendly encounter. Courtesy of goals from Oswin Appolis, Mohau Nkota, and Sphephelo Sithole sealed an impressive outing — a performance that left most of the home crowd happy and eager for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
However, for the man at the helm, there remains room for improvement within the squad he will take to the prestigious competition. This leaves him with a selection dilemma: having to drop some players while entrusting others to rise to the challenge.
The 73-year-old has been vocal about the importance of Mshishi, who, despite his advancing age, has been a key player for the national team. The Belgian is working on his squad for continental and global assignments scheduled for later this year, and the new one before officially retiring and focusing on other things.
Four South African representatives will fly the flag at the 2025 CAF Awards after the Confederation of African Football unveiled its finalists on Sunday, November 16. With places secured across different categories, the announcement highlights the growing influence of South African football on the continental stage and sets the tone for a night of recognition and pride.
Daniel Bennett’s warning comes after observing advanced VAR technology in Spain, where full systems are already integrated into top leagues. He believes South Africa must follow suit, stressing that credibility and consistency depend on proper investment. The next step is working through the financial model to make it viable.
Mokoena achieved the milestone in South Africa's game against Zambia, and the coach has taken some credit for that. The midfielder's achievement came months after his suspension cost Bafana three points in World Cup qualifiers. And given how central he is to Broos' plans, Mokoena is expected to get as many caps as possible so long as the Belgian is in charge.
Although the goalkeeper rose to the occasion when he was needed most, he could not proceed as he was injured minutes into the second half. After fighting hard to keep the Japanese at bay in the first half, Amajimbos fell early in the second half when they conceded the goals. Despite the result, the youngsters managed to create a sense of national pride after advancing to the knockout stage of the global competition for the first time in their history.
The 38-year-old is enjoying a good run with the Algerian top-tier outfit, The People's Club, hoping to deliver domestically and abroad. His exploits are a strong response to those who doubted his ability to coach outside South Africa, underlining the massive potential to be among the best on the continent.
The 27-year-old quality attacker made his name with the defending Premier Soccer League champions in the prestigious global club competition staged in the United States. He scored one of the best goals for the season as Masandawana collected four points, but narrowly missed making the knockout phase.
Tension is brewing in South African football circles as Black Leopards boss David Thidiela finds himself at the heart of a storm. In a fiery interview that sent shockwaves across the local game, Thidiela didn’t hold back — taking direct aim at the Premier Soccer League chairman Dr. Irvin Khoza, whom he branded a “dictator.”
The duo has already worked together in South Africa's Premier Soccer League and Morocco's Botola Pro League, and the 38-year-old tactician wanted to have him in Algeria. Nyoso has been a hit for his current club, underlining why his former Masandawana coach rates him highly despite his advancing age.
The former Polokwane City winger joined the Buccaneers in July and has quickly established himself as one of the club’s standout performers. With his pace, creativity and consistency, he has impressed both fans and the technical team, making a strong impact in the Pirates’ attacking setup and proving to be a valuable addition to their squad.
The Glamour Boys, under the guidance of co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef, have been placed in Group D of the CAF Confederation Cup. They’ll face tough competition from Zambian outfit ZESCO United and Egyptian giants Zamalek SC and Al Masry SC as they aim to make a strong impression in the group stages.
We sat down with the former Orlando Pirates midfielder and now U19 coach at AmaZulu to get his views on the the Amajimbos attacking midfielder and his future in the game.
Mamelodi Sundowns FC
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