THE Ethiopian, Tadu Nare, will again be the woman to beat at the Spar Grand Prix. This after she returned with a record-breaking victory at the Gqeberha,Eastern Cape this past weekend. The defending series champion delivered a spectacular performance tosecure a comfortable victory in 31 minutes, 35 seconds. She made up for missing the first race of the 10km road running series in Cape Town last month in order to compete at the London Marathon. “All in all it was…

IF Her Majesty, the Queen Mother Manyaku Thulare had one wish granted, she would ask that two teams be crowned the kings of the Nedbank Cup on Saturday. That is because she, the Paramount Chief of Sekhukhune, is torn between her beloved Orlando Pirates and her home team, Sekhukhune United, in thefinal of South Africa’s premier football cup competition. It will be an emotional day for the Bapedi nation’s queen mother, who will lead a team of dignitaries from the…

Brazil is a country that breathes football. Football is everywhere: on the playgrounds, on the beaches and in the rooms of small favelas. When a Brazilian boy is born, his parents already know that they will definitely send him to football. No country in the history of football has been as successful as Brazil. It has won five World Cups and remains the only team to have competed in every tournament. Over the years, Brazil have given the world more…

THE battle for promotion to the continent’s most lucrative football league – South Africa’s DStv Premiership – is set for a nail-biting end this weekend. Three sides, all enduring an inconsistent run in the final lap, are in contention for the sole direct ticket. Cape Town Spurs, Casric Stars and Polokwane City are neck and neck atop the Motsepe Foundation Championship ahead of tricky assignments on Sunday. The only consolation of the two sides that will miss out on direct…

THE ugly face of the beautiful game has reared its ugly head again in Zambia, coincidentally commemorating one of the worst tragedies in sport ever. As the elite league draws to a conclusion, stakes are high and tensions much higher for the race to finish in the spots to qualify for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League and Confederations Cup.  A fracas during the six pointer between defending champions, Red Arrows, and Maestro United Zambia (MUZA) resulted in…

AFTER a record-breaking Comrades Marathon last August, the all-conquering Nedbank Running Club has set its sights on dominating the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town this weekend. Dubbed “the world’s most beautiful marathon”, the 56-kilometre race is scheduled for the Mother City on Saturday. It is the opening “Grand Slam” of the year in the South African marathon calendar. The Nedbank Running Club is upbeat at the prospects of its athletes ahead of the starting gun firing in the Western…

THE Central African Republic (CAR) is the most improved side in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings, now led by global champions, Argentina. CAR has moved ten places up to 122nd. They attained that feat after twice beating Madagascar. This is the biggest move by points (plus 28,72 points) and by places. CAR outperformed other notable movers such as Namibia (106th, plus 7), Malaysia (138th, plus 7) and The Gambia (120th, plus 6). Cameroon recorded the biggest drop by points Cameroon…

THE Central African Republic (CAR) is the most improved side in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings, now led by global champions, Argentina.CAR has moved ten places up to 122nd.They attained that feat after twice beating Madagascar. This is the biggest move by points (plus 28,72 points) and by places. CAR outperformed other notable movers such as Namibia (106th, plus 7),Malaysia (138th, plus 7) and The Gambia (120th, plus 6). Cameroon recorded the biggest drop by points Cameroon (minus 29,09 points)…

MAMELODI Sundowns’ sixth title in a row, secured this past weekend without them kicking a ball, widens the enormous gap between them and the rest of the teams in the South African elite league. The Brazilians clinched the DStv Premiership after the latest pretender to their crown, SuperSport United, fell by the wayside as they only managed a one-all draw at Chippa United on Saturday. Cross-city rivals, SuperSport, the only side that had a mathematical chance of dislodging Downs at…

The Grannies International Football Tournament (GIFT) has finally begun with a bang at the Nkowankowa Stadium outside Tzaneen in Limpopo. The highly anticipated tournament will feature 20 granny football teams from seven different countries, which will be competing over the course of three days. The event started with a vibrant parade through the streets of Nkowankowa Township, followed by an opening ceremony at the local stadium. The opening game of the tournament was played between the South African team, affectionately…