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Thomas Tuchel, a German mentor eager to change Chelsea’s fortunes

Earlier this week, Chelsea unveilled Thomas Tuchel as their new manager following the sacking of Frank Lampard, the Club’s legend and all-time top goal-scorer. 18-months. That is the time Frank Lampard lasted at Chelsea as a Manager. However, this is a familiar sight to those who have followed Chelsea during Roman Abramovich’s time as the Club’s owner — a Russian billionaire unsatisfied by nothing else but instant results. Following an impressive first season with the club despite the FIFA transfer ban, the second season was expected to be even better — more especially with the club backing him in the transfer market. A great start to a season, ruined by a bad spell for Lampard has brought Tuchel to Stamford Bridge. Tuchel, who led Paris St Germain to a treble last season and a Uefa Champions League final, will reunite with Thiago Silva and Christian Pulisic whom he coached at PSG and Borussia Dortmund respectively. Perhaps, the biggest reason behind Tuchel’s appointment is to...

Mosimane quits Sundowns, expected to join Al Ahly

             Picture: Mamelodi Sundowns website  Pitso Mosimane has resigned from his role as coach of Mamelodi Sundowns to join an "International team"  believed to be Egyptian giants, Al Ahly. Mosimane, who recently renewed his contract with Sundowns in May with four years, led the club to a treble during the 2019/2020 season. In his eight years at the chlookop based-club, Mosimane won 11 trophies, including the Caf Champions League in 2016. In a statement he released today following an exclusive story on his Sundowns exit by Timeslive , Mosimane said he wanted a new challenge. "I am taking up this new challenge that will push me out of my comfort zone. I know Sundowns will use this as a fresh and new perspective," he said. "While I had four year remaining in my contract, this offer is a huge opportunity for me that would not have come had I not had the privilege to be part of the team that led Mamelodi Sundowns in winning the Caf C...

Kai Havertz struggles on Chelsea debut

         Kai Havertz on the ball on his Chelsea debut  Chelsea's new signing, Kai Havertz, had a shaky start on his debut during a 3-1 win over Brighton on Monday night. Haverts, who was bought from Bayer Leverkusen for a club-record fee [£71 million], touched the ball on 35 occasions and had 0 shot on target. Speaking after the match, the 21-year-old Germany international -- subbed on the the 80th minute and replaced by Callum Hudson-Odoi -- admitted the Premier League might be tougher than the Bundesliga. "The Premier League is much tougher than the Bundesliga. I have seen that in training and saw it in the game as well. But I am happy to play 80 minutes and hopefully next week I will continue," he said. While Havertz had a sluggish debut for the London club, his countryman, Timo Werner, caused all sort of problems for Brighton defence with his electric pace. Chelsea's first goal came through a penalty which was slotted by Jorginho after he was fou...

Americans remember 9/11 victims

Picture  (Robert Clark / Associated Press) It has been 16 years since the 9/11 attacks. The attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the United States and led to the death of 3000 people. 372 foreign nationals (including the 19 terrorists) from 57 countries, who represented just over 12% of the total number of deaths, also perished in the attacks.  To remember this day, residents of Tempe, gathered outside the city's center for performing art to remember victims of 9/11. Mark Poisson, the event organizer with Exchange Club of Tempe, spoke mostly about the importance of keeping the memory of the victims alive. "People seem to be forgetting what happened on this day, 16 years ago today and our motto is "never forget."   Poisson said seeing families of the victims on the commemorations signifies the impact of the event. "I had a woman coming this week and she was asking how he could find a ...

San Diego, a leader in environmental sustainability

Home to some of the world’s best tourism attractions, the city of San Diego has put sustainability as their priority for a safe and clean environment. San Diego is home to nearly 1.4 million residents and was the only U.S city to be featured on National Geographic Channel for world’s smartest cities in 2015. According to the City Mayor, Kevin Faulconer, environmental sustainability is the cause behind the city’s consistent economic growth. “Our sustainability initiatives set forth common-sense strategies to achieve sustainable greenhouse gas reductions, while also creating green jobs through incentive based policies, improving public health by removing harmful pollutants from air and water,” Faulconer said. Faulconer said the main priority for environmental sustainability is to ensure the safety of residents. “We strive for a sensible balance between protecting our environment and growing our economy,” he said. San Diego is the second largest city in Cal...

Gender-based violence, a national debacle

Abuse aimed at women is seemingly a national crisis in South Africa. Whether it is rape, sexual harassment, or a husband’s explosion of rage, violence is so common that few lives have been left untouched by it. According to a research conducted by Medical research council of South Africa and Centre for Public Mental Health, every eight hours (on average), a woman dies at the hands of an intimate partner in South Africa. Furthermore, 36-40% of pregnant women experience physical Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), and 15-19% experience sexual IPV. The violence increases the risk for the baby, which could be born pre-term and with a low birth weight. While many people may see GBV as a new trend in South Africa due to the recent outbreak of media coverage on women abuse, the reality is it’s nothing new in our country. A damning report by the South African demographics and Health survey for 2016, revealed that one in five women has ever experienced physical violence by their par...

Daine Klate, South Africa's most decorated footballer

When Daine Klate won his first league title in the 2007-2008 season, the left-footed winger never imagined himself becoming the most decorated footballer in the history of the Premier Soccer League. The Port Elizabeth-born star helped Bidvest Wits clinch their first League title in 96 years. Klate , a product of the school of excellence scored Bidvest Wits’ second goal in a title winning game against Polokwane City at Bidvest Wits stadium on Wednesday. James Keene had earlier put the host in front with an exquisite header to make it 1-0 within three minutes into the game. Still, at 32-years, Klate has earned the reputation of winning the League title with every club he has played for since becoming a professional footballer in 2004. Regarded as one of the country’s best free-kick takers, Klate remains the only footballer to win the league title in five consecutive seasons. Wearing jersey number seven on his back, Klate won the PSL title three times with Su...

Queen of scream raring to go again!

Oooooooh holy Sharapova! How we've missed you on the tennis court. On the 26th of April the "Queen of Scream" return to the tennis court with her 15 months ban for doping coming to an end. The Russian tennis pro played her first professional tournament in March 2002 at the age of 14-years. She defeated Brie Rippner at the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California.

Black Coffee at it again with Drake collaboration

South African record producer and DJ, Black Coffee is in the spotlight again following the release of 'Get it together', a song where he is featured by Canadian artist, Drake. The release of the song was announced by DJ Black Coffee on his twitter handle (@RealBlackCoffee) on 19 March with the caption "Literally in tear", and has been received with mixed reactions on Twitter. Among the list of people that were first to congratulate DJ Black Coffee was, Hip-hop artist, Cassper Nyovest who expressed his delight for his fellow countryman. Abuti Fill Up (CassperNyovest) said: You keep inspiring us!!! Congrats and keep flying the flag grootman @RealBlackCoffee.” Despite positive reaction from those who are in the music industry with DJ Black Coffee, some of his fans weren’t pleased with the song. Thato Mabasa (@T_Mabasa) said:"Is it me or does Get it together by Drake ft Black Coffee sound more like Black Coffee’s superman track." Sup...

Richards Bay musician, Simmy Sims waiting for industry breakthrough

                                           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38lptgXpq_s Despite his continued hustle without getting a contract, Richards Bay’s underground artist, Simphiwe Mthembu is confident that the delay in breaking the music industry will be worth the wait.   The 20-year-old, whose stage name is Simmy Sims has been an underground artist since the age of 13 and believes that perseverance and hustle would be key to him unlocking the doors in the industry.   “I have been in the game for a while now. I have achieved a lot of things in the past seven years, I dropped my first mixtape at the age of 16, and I have been fortunate to have ‘Hustle’ my song televised on 1KZNTV,” Mthembu said.   Mthembu, who is also a third year Fine Art student at Durban University of Technology (DUT) said that music is part-time due to a c...

Reflective piece, the increase in the excise duty for tobacco and alcohol

  This assessment taught me a lot of things about Mobile Journalism (MOJO). I got an opportunity to use a gadget to report news, and that alone made me realise that media is fast moving with trends. Over the past two years or so, I have been closely monitoring the use of MOJO by journalist in South Africa and in this assignment I tried to duplicate some aspect of their reporting using this powerful gadget called Cellphone. When Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan delivered his budget speech on the 22nd of February, I knew that the aspect that I was going to choose for my assignment would be about the increase in sin taxes for consumers of Alcohol and Tobacco. High consumption of these products is a massive issue in South Africa, especially among youth. This assessment answers questions such as ‘despite the yearly increase of alcohol and tobacco why do you persist in using these products.' This question might sound a little bit silly, but the reality is, South Africa is at a ...

Blitzboks clinch HSBC Las Vegas title

The Blitzboks clinched their fourth title in five tournaments of the HSBC World rugby series with a 19-12 victory over Fiji in the final played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Fiji scored first after four minutes of the final, but a converted try by Cecil Afrika had the Blitzboks back in the lead at the break. Leading tackler in the series, Chris Dry, should his versatility with a try early in the second half to put South Africa 14-5 ahead, before Specman ran more than 50 meters to score the decisive try. Fiji did score again, but that was too late to stop the Blitzboks earning a fourth tournament this year. Blitzboks currently lead the overall HSBC World rugby sevens rankings with 107 points, 24 points ahead of beaten finalists, Fiji, who has 83 point. England occupies the third place with 81 points. Blitzboks coach, Neil Powell praised the team’s ability to come back when the chips were down. “I am very pleased with the result, even though it was not the mo...

Amla, Tahir stars in Proteas win over Black Caps

The Proteas recorded a comprehensive 78-run win over New Zealand in their one-off T20 match at Eden Park Yesterday. The Proteas led by Francois du Plessis lost the toss and were sent by Kane Williamson to bat first in a ground which holds terrible memories in their hearts. Hashim Amla set the tone for the Proteas with his sixth half century in T20’s for South Africa. Despite being criticised in recent times for his decline in form, the opener top scored with 62 runs off 43 balls to help South Africa post 185/6 in their 20 overs. The 33-year-old opener with his soft wrists scored 9 fours and 1 six. Faf du Plessis (36), JP Duminy (29), and Ab de Villiers (26) all performed well with the bat, while Trent Boult (2-8), and Colin de Grandhomme (2-22) were outstanding with the ball for the hosts. The Black Caps response got to the worst possible start, with Chris Morris removing opener, Glen Phillips and Colin Munro.  Despite the Proteas score being described as sma...

2016, the year of Beauden Barrett

When All Blacks flyhalf, Dan Carter, called time to his illustrious international career at the end of the 2015 rugby world cup there were doubters whether 24-year-old (then), Beauden Barrett, was the right candidate to fill Carter’s big shoes. There were also discussion circulating on the media on who was better to take over from Carter between Beauden Barrett and Aaron Cruden, it wasn’t long before Barrett’s impressive form made him the front-liner for the kicking reigns in the All Blacks.  Before we knew it he had cemented his place as the usual suspect in the 10 jersey rather than number 22. Barrett, a man who had lived under Carter’s shadows knew he had finally got his opportunity to steal the limelight in the black All Blacks kit. Apart from the Springboks decline of form, All Blacks’ dominance, England’s progression under Eddie Jones, the year 2016 wouldn’t be wrapped up without mentioning the name of Beauden Barrett. The Hurricanes flyhalf was...

Fatigue taking its toll on Mamelodi Sundowns?

Following the MTN8 final defeat to Bidvest Wits at Mbombela Stadium, Mamelodi Sundowns Coach, Pitso “Jingles” Mosimane faces a tough task of motivating a Sundowns team that is showing signs of fatigue before the first leg of the CAF Champions league final against Zamalek at Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium on October 15. Sundowns were humiliated by Bidvest Wits in the MTN8, losing 3-0, and Mosimane was quick to admit that his side might be running out of steam.   “You saw it against Zesco, we were showing that we are running out of steam a little bit. A little bit in some of the occasions, the second balls, but that's not an excuse. I said even before we won against Chippa United, playing against well-rested teams, it's a challenge to lift the team up," Mosimane said. Mamelodi Sundowns progressed to the CAF final after beating Zesco United 3-2 on Aggregate, and Mosimane believes that this final would give the club an opportunity to rectify the mistake of 20...

Bavuma smash ODI century on debut

Temba Bavuma (26) became the second South African cricketer after Colin Ingram to score a century on ODI debut as South Africa defeated Ireland with 206 runs at Benoni Yesterday. The 26-year old, Kwa-Langa born batman dropped on one by Kevin O’Brien ,and went on to became the 12th cricketer to score a century on ODI debut. Bavuma scored 113 off 123 balls as South Africa reached 354 for five. He smashed 13 fours and 1 six. Cricketers who scored ODI Century on debut Dennis Amiss   vs Australia (1972) Desmond Haynes vs Australia (1978) Andy Flower vs Sri Lanka (1992) Saleem Elahi   vs Sri Lanka (1995) Martin Guptil vs West Indies (2009) Colin Ingram vs Zimbabwe (2010) Rob Nicol vs Zimbabwe (2011) Phillip Hughes vs Sri Lanka (2013) Michael Lumb vs West Indies (2014) Mark Chapman vs United Arab Emirates (2015) K.L Rahul vs Zimbabwe (2016) Temba Bavuma vs Ireland (2016) For anyone who has kept an eye on Bavuma’s career, this...

Being the most expensive footballer in England

Being the most expensive footballer in the English Premier League (EPL),  comes with its own pressure and most footballers fail to handle it. Shouldn't British media be blamed for the footballer's failure? I strongly believe the problem is not with the players, but British media should be blamed for failures of footballers like Angel di Maria and Fernando Torres at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge respectively. Apart from England,  where else in the world is a player judged with just five games into the season?  La Liga BBVA doesn't, Bundesliga doesn't,  Serie A doesn't and Ligue 1 doesn't. if Spanish media was like British media Gareth Bale wouldn't be still at Real Madrid, the Welsh forward didn't have the best of starts at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi didn't either have the best of starts at Parc de Franc after their move from Napoli. Maybe, British media should look at itself as the reason for unsucc...

Wounded Springboks ready for All Blacks clash

Springboks vs. the All Blacks The Springboks would be hoping to beat the All blacks for the first time on home soil in seven years when the two sides lock horns at Ami Stadium, Christchurch on Saturday. The All Blacks’ last defeat to the Springboks on home soil was in the 2009 Tri-Nation in the 32-29 defeat at Waikato Stadium, under the guidance of Peter de Villiers. Speaking at a media conference Springboks assistant coach, Johann van Graan said this match is what they might need to turn the tables around. “We have a few strengths that we want to use and each rugby match has its own character,” Van Graan said. He said maintaining a high start for the entire game is what they would need to defeat the All Blacks who have only lost twice to the Springboks since 2009. “We have to be able to take the pressure and apply pressure and the team that is able to do that for the full 80 minutes will win the Test. The two rugby rivals have huge respect for each other...

Van Niekerk and Simbine receive heroes welcome

Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk and 100m finalist Akani Simbine arrived home to a heroes welcome at OR Tambo International Airport yesterday. Van Niekerk and Simbine had spent some time in Europe after the Rio Olympic Games and were welcomed by hundreds of supporters, a reception that seemed to catch them by surprise. According to Van Niekerk, the winning the 400m medal in a world record would have been impossible without support from South Africans. “The support I received prior to the Olympics was the reason for my success at the Olympics, the medal I won is something special to me and I will cherish it and use it as my motivation to keep moving forward,” Van Niekerk said. On his return to South Africa, Van Niekerk was surprised with Audi R8 worth R1.8million at OR Tambo International Airport. This was the 3rd car to be won by Van Niekerk in a period of a year after he won two cars at the South African Sports Awards in 2015. Van Niekerk and Simbine -...

Twitter react to Strauss exit

The announcement by Springboks captain, Adriaan Strauss to retire from Test rugby at the end of the 2016 season has been received by mixed reactions on Twitter. Strauss who became the 57th Springboks captain against Ireland in June would leave the Springboks in search of their fourth captain in less than a year.  His retirement from International rugby comes after a spell of disappointing showings by the Springboks under his belt. Tim(@Timotheos) said: “So Adrian Strauss took the cowards way out by quitting as Springbok captain?The fact is he was never up to the task, to begin with”. GODFIDENCE(@AthenkosiMaseti) said: “Dankie Adrian Strauss, you served the nation well! On the brighter side now, I'm looking forward to the tenure of the next skipper”. Diana Van Jaarsveld (@JaarsveldDiana) said: “Comparing Adrian Strauss Captaincy to John Smit and Jean I can safely say the #Springboks doesn't have a Captain at all. Someone, please tell me what is Bryan Ha...