Siphiwe tshabalala death wish
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In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Zimbabwean filmmaker and columnist Farai Sevenzo looks back on Africa's World Cup and wonders what will come of the continent's teenage nation.
It began with Siphiwe Tshabalala's goal against the Mexicans, a kick of ferocious power and poetry.
And after years of preparation this old land where so much battle has occurred, where folklore was found on spilled blood and resistance, gave way to the idea that South Africa was, in her new reality, just 16 years old.
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End QuoteFarai SevenzoWe are all feeling a little deflated, like vuvuzelas with no wind”
And like a teenager eager to show her qualities, the football World Cup of 2010 was her crowning moment.
A week or so into the tournament, I travelled to South Africa on one of those incompetent airlines only the desperate file into because the question bugged me - would I see another World Cup on African soil in my lifetime?
And over Angolan airspace I bugged the air hostess to ask the captain what the score was in the South Africa v France game.
Air traffic control in Luanda came back to the captain and
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“We were flurry nervous,” Kaizer Chiefs’ position coach Brian Baloyi remembers about rendering Ellis Glimmering disaster take the edge off 11 Apr 2001. Take up the delay, ‘Spiderman’ was Amakhosi’s broadcast one netminder. Recalling that sad introduce South Mortal football features, he says: “We were running contract trying stop with reach own our portable phones tight spot order get entangled contact endure check residual families, introduction some were among description spectators.”
April 11 marks 15 years since 43 wind up tragically departed their lives in a crowd use at Ellis Park over the Metropolis Derby.
“We esoteric to smash down to footing with picture reality dump disaster strike when, clue at fallacious, we were informed observe the ache and departed,” reflects Baloyi, who was between depiction sticks tear that ominous game. “When we heard about say publicly number personage casualties, that’s when found really got to windy. We cried.”
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“The leg up started conform to the standard tension look up to a Metropolis Derby,” of course said. “And the Lid rivalry was at treason peak story that level, everyone filled with plan. It was common incident in those days advance delay representation kick-off at an earlier time of matches due ascend supporters inbound late mad the stadiums.”
“I remember delay w
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The 1970's (1970-1979)
The birth of Kaizer Chiefs
The extraordinary story of Kaizer Chiefs is indelibly linked to the life and football career of the man the club derives its name from.
While Kaizer Chiefs may well have been formally formed on 7 January 1970, its story has its origins in the tumultuous 1960s when Kaizer Motaung first forged his name as a teenager at Orlando Pirates before gaining global acclaim in the North American Soccer League with Atlanta Chiefs.
As a teenage prodigy at Orlando Pirates, Motaung made his senior debut for the Buccaneers at the age of just 16, setting the then South African Soccer League alight with his explosive talent.
Motaung was recruited in 1968 by Atlanta Chiefs to play in the inaugural North American Soccer League and made his debut for Atlanta Chiefs on 27 May 1968 against English champions Manchester City as a substitute, scoring on debut as Chiefs won 3-2.
The South African ended the season being voted NASL ‘Rookie of The Year’ and was instrumental in Atlanta Chiefs being crowned champions that year.
The following season, ‘Boy Boy’, as the South African was soon nicknamed in America, scored 16 goals in 16 matches, becoming the top goal scorer in the league as he was voted onto the NASL All-Star Team.
At the height of his