Who’s Hot
Another week, another goal for Lorch, who was in the right place at the right time to turn home a loose ball in the box for Wydad Casablanca in their 2-1 win at Olympic Safi. It was his fifth goal of the season as his all-round contribution continues to impress, helping Wydad to the top of the table in the competitive Botola. There has still been no Bafana Bafana recall, however, despite the fact that he plays in a position where options are limited.
The sight of Ouaddou racing down the touchline to celebrate with Tshepang Moremi after his winner in the Carling Knockout semi-final against Richards Bay perhaps illustrated the pressure the Moroccan coach was under at Orlando Pirates. A CAF Champions League exit at the hands of St Eloi Lupopo was devastating for the club and immediately put him in the firing line, despite winning the MTN8 earlier this campaign, sitting well in the league, and now reaching a second cup final in 2025/26. The Champions League was a major goal for Pirates after their semi-final showing last season, and to go out before the group stages was a major embarrassment.
Gallants are into their first cup final since 2022 after seeing off in-form Lamontville Golden Arrows in the Carling Knockout semi-finals on Sunday via a penalty shoot-out. It has been a topsy-turvy campaign so far, but under 28-year-old coach Alexandre Lafitte, there are signs of resilience. They now stand on the cusp of winning silverware for only the second time in their history after lifting the Nedbank Cup in 2022. They will be heavy underdogs against Pirates in the final, but you never know …
The former Bafana Bafana left-back has become a top tactician in Major League Soccer and this past week was named MLS Coach of the Year, the first South African to claim the award. It was well-deserved too, as his Philadelphia Union side had the best record in the league phase and have advanced to the Eastern Conference semi-finals of the play-offs, where they will host New York City FC in a single-game eliminator after the international break.
South Africa have qualified for the knockout stages of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup despite a 3-1 loss to Italy on Sunday. They finished with four points in their pool, which was enough for second place, and now await their opponents in the Round of 32. Who they face will depend on their final ranking among the 12 second-placed teams, to be determined on Monday when the last group matches are played.
Staying in MLS, Hlongwane’s Minnesota United came through a tense penalty shoot-out win over Seattle Sounders to take their three-game play-off series. The match finished 3-3 before Minnesota triumphed 7-6 on penalties, with Hlongwane netting his side’s ninth spot-kick. Though well down the pecking order and into the players who would rather not take one, he held his nerve to score. The 25-year-old is having another fine season but is still waiting for that Bafana recall.
The former Bafana Bafana and Manchester United midfielder was not out of work for long after leaving his assistant coach role at LaLiga side Real Oviedo. He has followed his former head coach, Veljko Paunović, to the Serbian national team. Paunović clearly values Fortune’s input, and vice versa. The pair were dismissed from Oviedo after a tough start to the LaLiga season following promotion. Serbia are in the hunt for a play-off spot to qualify for the 2026 World Cup and face England (Thursday, away) and Latvia (Sunday, home). They currently trail Albania by a single point, with the latter facing Andorra and England in their final two games.
Who’s Not
SAFA
The South African Football Association (SAFA) have decided that no one needs to face consequences for the embarrassing gaffe that saw them docked three points in their FIFA World Cup qualification campaign for fielding an ineligible player. In the end, it didn’t matter as they still qualified by winning their group, but the incredible administrative negligence will go unpunished, with SAFA stating that no further action will be taken. The organisation often speaks of striving for excellence, this was not it.
In good form in the league and with a home match against a weaker opponent offering a golden chance to reach their first cup final since 2009, Golden Arrows had an excellent opportunity to make history in their Carling Knockout semi-final against Marumo Gallants. But they blew it, losing on penalties despite taking the lead in the game, a huge disappointment for coach Manqoba Mngqithi. Chances like this don’t come along often for Golden Arrows.