Mamelodi Sundowns returned from the Club World Cup after a brave performance against Fluminense, while Cristiano Ronaldo extended his stay in Saudi Arabia.
Sundowns return from the Fifa Club World Cup with their heads held high and pockets bulging with cash despite not reaching the Last 16.
They beat Korean club Ulsan 1-0, lost 4-3 to German heavyweights Dortmond and had the better of a 0-0 draw with Brazilians Fluminense, In the process Sundowns earned $9.55m for appearing in the United States, $2m for beating Ulsan and $1m for the draw.
That is a total of some R222-million. The sequence of results reminds me of Bafana Bafana at the 2010 World Cup. There, they beat France, drew with Mexico and lost to Uruguay, with the four points also not being enough to qualify them for the knockout stages.
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SA TEENAGER WITH WORLD AT HIS FEET
The fee of £700,000 (R17-million) that has been bandied about as Chelsea signing South African 13-year-old Camden Schaper from Blackburn seems legitimate.
The Benoni-raised teenager has caused a stir with talk of him becoming the most-valued 13-year-old in the world. He has 10k Instagram followers and often posts videos of himself juggling the ball.
There’s a long way to go, and Chelsea haven’t committed as yet, but the talent is there. To suggest he’s the next Lionel Messi is simply irresponsible, though. Interestingly, Camden’s younger brother, Aston (12), is a goalkeeper on the books of Man City.
HIVE OF ACTIVITY AS ATTENTION TURNS TO BEES
Brentford have largely flown under the radar since being promoted to the English Premier League, finishing 13th, 9th, 16th and 10th. That sort of “safety” consistency seems to have caught the eye, especially this between-season period.
Tottenham were quick to pounce and replaced Ange Postecoglou with Brentford manager Thomas Frank. Man United are still in the hunt for Brian Mbuemo, while Arsenal are on the brink of signing Bees captain Christiaan Norgaard for a snip.
Now there’s the news that supermodel Claudia Schiffer’s film-maker husband, Matthew Vaughn and South African businessman Gary Lubner are looking to buy up to 20 percent of the club.
RONALDO OUTSTAYS A FOURTH MANAGER IN SAUDI
The entrance to the manager’s office at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr is most likely a revolving door, and Stefano Piolo became the fourth manager to leave the club since Cristiano Ronaldo joined in January 2023.
In nearly three years, Al-Nassr have gone through Rudi Garcia (9 months), Dinko Jelicic (2 months), and Luis Castro 14 months) and now Piolo (9 months). Ronaldo, meanwhile, is rumoured to be about to sign a new contract worth £167-million a year.
Al-Nassr finished 13 points down in third in the Saudi Pro League last season, and the only trophy Ronaldo has won is the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup.
CITY AND ORBIT ADD NAMES TO PSL ROLL
There are two new sides in the Betway Premiership next season, with Durban City and Orbit College experiencing top-flight status for the first time. City were a powerhouse in the “old NFL First Division”, but this is the first time they’ll be playing in the top division since the PSL was formed in 1996.
As will Orbit College, who saw off Cape Town City and Casric Stars in the promotion-relegation playoffs. Durban City and Orbit are the 48th and 49th clubs to play in the PSL Premiership, with only Kaizer Chiefs, Sundowns, Pirates and SuperSport United featuring in all 29 seasons. Eight clubs have been “one and done”, something City and Orbit will be keen to avoid.
MAKING ‘NEWS’ OFF THE FIELD
It’s open season for the clickbait artists with this week’s “news” bringing all football fans up to date off the field.
That’s if you follow the sort of journalism that says “world sexiest footballer is on losing end as Swiss women are beaten 7-1 by an under-15 team”…
Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale and Man United Diogo Dalot have both got married (not to one another) in lavish weddings, teenage superstar Lamine Jamal “was with another girl” hours before being joined by an Only Fans influencer on holiday, John Barnes, sole director in his media firm, has “no funds” after falling £1.5m in debt in unpaid tax…
The WAG of new Liverpool signing Florian Wirtz is a fashion influencer with over 100,000 TikTok followers.
