The COSAFA Show

South Africa striker Lebo Mothiba is nearing a return from a serious knee injury and

promising to come back fitter and stronger than ever ahead of a crucial 2021 that includes

the conclusion of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the start of the 2022 FIFA World

Cup preliminaries.

We have delved into the archives for an interview with the 24-year-old Strasbourg forward,

where he discusses his path in the game and his time with the national team.

Mothiba netted four goals in his first five games for Bafana Bafana, but is stuck on the same

number after 14 caps, though his all-round contribution as a targetman striker should be

recognised.

He admits the early suggestions that he could be the answer to Bafana’s scoring problems

left him uncomfortable.

"That is a difficult question because as a striker ... sometimes there are games where you do

well, score goals and everyone says you are the right one for the national team," Mothiba

said on The COSAFA Show.

"But then sometimes you can go five or six games without scoring a goal and the fans start

saying, 'this one is not a good striker'. I can just go and do my best and if I get the

opportunity to score goals, that is what I will try to do.

"I won't say that I am the answer to the scoring problems of South Africa. The PSL do have a

lot of good strikers, there are good players in the country."

Mothiba also discussed how he made it to France, his early influences and how he managed

to settle into European life so quickly, something that is often a challenge for South African

players.

On this final show of 2020 we also talk to Mozambique Under-20 coach Dario Monteiro,

who led his team to a surprise win at the COSAFA Qualifiers for TOTAL U-20 AFCON,

Mauritania 2021.

He explains how he did it and looks to the future where the side will compete in Mauritania

from February.

We also talk to Zambia international Charles Zulu, who recently swapped Zanaco for Cape

Town City in South Africa’

Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane became just the third tactician ever to win the CAF Champions league with two different clubs as he followed up his 2016 triumph with Mamelodi Sundowns with another star for his personal badge in the 2019-20 final.
Even better, Mosimane guided his Ahly side to victory in the final over bitter rivals Zamalek, ensuring that just a few months after arriving at the club, he has already written his name into their rich history.

It is a first Champions league title since 2013 for the Cairo giants, and Mosimane used his know-how to brush aside old foes Wydad Casablanca in the semifinals, as well as repeat his 2016 final victory against Zamalek.

He spoke to the South African Football Journalists Association this week about that triumph and much more, and you can hear a snippet of his thoughts on the latest episode of The COSAFA Show.

“I have been in a whirlpool since I have been here. It has not been easy. Some might say it was easier because the [Egyptian] league was already won with only five games left. But it is not like that, at this level, on this stage, results are very important,” Mosimane says.

“You might say, ‘OK, but the team was already in the semifinals of Champions League’. Yes it was, but for me to get there I had to win all the games that are in between the semifinals. If you lose those games, you know the story, you won’t be here.

“Those games in the [Egyptian] league were pressure games for me, everybody wanted to see if they could trust me, what would I bring to the team, what would I do differently to what had been done because the league was won.

“That is the pressure, to keep winning. I had to start my own journey by winning games. You have start that journey by showing the difference you will make to the team. You can’t come with the same thing that they had.”


On this week’s show there is also a discussing with LaLiga Santander’s Managing Director for South Africa, Marcos Pelegrin about a recent partnership with COSA

Malawi coach Meke Mwase has revealed how Jomo Sono was a major influence on him becoming a coach, and remains a mentor to this day.
Mwase played for Jomo Cosmos for three seasons in the 1990s during a successful career in which he was a stalwart of the Malawi national side.
The 48-year-old was appointed to lead The Flames last year, where he has the likes of Orlando Pirates striker Gabadinho Mhango and Baroka FC midfielder Gerald Phiri in his side.

"I enjoyed playing football, but coaching is a very big job and a very stressful job" Mwase tells The COSAFA Show. "You always have to pick a team to win the game, because in Malawi the people want their team to win all the time and that hasn’t happened in a long time.

"It was a big blessing for me to meet Jomo Sono. He has been like a father to me. I enjoyed playing for his team and he always encouraged me. He helped me to be a good player for the team.

"So it was nice making me a captain in my first year there. It was a great thing." 
Meanwhile, South Africa Under-17 captain Jessica Wade has earned a trip to Spain courtesy of LaLiga next year, where she will get to train with local sides and hopefully take in a league game if COVID-19 allow.

“It’s an incredible opportunity and such a wonderful surprise, I had no idea something like this existed,” Wade says. “To get the message that says you have an opportunity to go to Spain and train with local clubs and learn about their football culture is incredible and such a wonderful opportunity.”
Also on the COSAFA Show, Mark Gleeson talks us through the permutations in the various Africa Cup of Nations qualification pools after the latest round of fixtures.

Zambia’s national women’s team should have already completed their participation at the Tokyo Olympic Games, but the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the festival of sport being moved to 2021.

That makes their appearance at the 2020 COSAFA Women’s Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay from November 3-14 all the more important, with plenty of fine-tuning for the squad, who are missing just a handful of their first team players due to overseas club commitments.

But back in the fold is star striker Barbra Banda, who netted 18 goals in 13 games in the 2020 Chinese Super League season to finish as top scorer and underline her status as one of Africa’s leading female players.

She got her COSAFA tournament off to a cracking start with a hat-trick against Lesotho in an 8-0 win on Wednesday, as Zambia flexed their muscles and showed their quality.

She reveals all on The COSAFA Show, talking about her season in China, path into football, being back in the Copper Queens squad and, of course, participating in the Olympic Games next year.

Banyana Banyana will be seeking a fourth COSAFA Women’s Championship trophy win in a row when they contest the 2020 edition in nelson Mandela Bay from November 3-14.

It is very much a new-look squad for coach Desiree Ellis with the unavailability of her overseas-based stars, but with some exciting new talent to keep an eye on, there will be plenty for fans to enjoy.

Ellis has told The COSAFA Show her plans for the tournament in an exclusive interview in which she touches on a wide range of subjects.

Former Bafana Bafana defender Bongani Khumalo is now an elder statesman at SuperSport United, but after scoring against France at the 2010 World Cup won a dream move to Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premiership.

But a serious injured picked up while playing for Bafana in a friendly against Brazil in 2014 would not only end his European dream, but also likely cut short his international career.

Khumalo tells The COSAFA Show about his initial struggles in Europe, and how his misfortune against the South Americans would come at a heavy cost.

South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan has urged former players to get their technical qualifications if they want to stay in the game, and says it is not enough to rely on their experiences during their career.

There has been a great debate in recent times about whether former players should be utilized more by SAFA. Following last weekend’s National Executive Committee meeting, ex-Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe was added to the technical committee, where he is joined by David Nyathi, while Brian Baloyi and Fabian McCarthy have been placed on SAFA's marketing, media and commercial committee.

But Jordaan says it is not enough for players to just expect these roles and they must make sure they have the required skills, revealing his feelings in a special edition of The COSAFA Show on Friday.

Hear more on the COSAFA Show!

Kennedy Mweene – 1:35

Motebang Sera – 12:17

Elvis Chetty – 18:49

How to stay in touch with COSAFA – 28:29

South Africa's national team coach, Molefi Ntseki, admits selecting his first squad after lockdown will be a challenge with so little information about the form and fitness of players.

Bafana Bafana are hoping to play two friendly matches in the October FIFA window, with their first competitive fixtures slated for home and away clashes against Sao Tome e Principe in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in November.

Those will be the first competitive games played in a year, and with such little domestic football also on the go in the last six months, Ntseki is starved of information when trying to assemble his best squad.

“When we announced our squad to face Sao Tome [for the cancelled matches in March] we had all the information we needed to know what to expect from each player. They were playing regularly for their teams,” Ntseki tells The COSAFA Show.

"Now it is a difficult situation for us because we have not seen much of them. The only ones we have really seen are the locally-based players in the PSL.

"For those overseas, we have a programme that gives us information about our players that are based abroad, which is very much of help to us.

"Most of them will be starting their leagues from August onwards, and this gives us information about their minutes and how they are doing for their clubs.

"But when it comes to the next FIFA week, it will be very difficult. We have obviously been watching players in the PSL, but if we were to select now it would be based on what we have seen following the resumption of football just a few weeks ago.

"We just hope those playing abroad will have enough minutes under their belt to warrant a call-up to the national team.”

You can hear Ntseki go into much more detail about his plans and challenges coming up for Bafana Bafana on The COSAFA Show.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has begun an overhaul of his squad as he looks to phase out some of the older players and create a new generation to continue his dynasty of success.

Mosimane recently revealed his plans for the next few years and which players he is looking to replace;

“We are currently preparing the team for the future because of the age of the most important players in the team,” Mosimane says.

“We have lots of guys over 30, and when it is over 30 they are not getting younger. None of their speed is getting better, they are just declining.

“That is the challenge we have at Mamelodi Sundowns. These guys have won so many trophies with me and they are important for the team, but what are you going to do, you can’t work against time.”

Listen to the latest episode to hear which specific players he is talking about and more thoughts on the current state of the team.

Also in this episode of the COSAFA Show, is an interviewed with Red Bull Salzburg star Enock Mwepu. Mwepu is one of the most talked-about young midfielders in Europe at the moment. The Zambian has excellent in the Austrian league as well as the UEFA Champions League, where he twice played against Liverpool last season.

Hear his take on Jurgen Klopp’s side and who’s jersey he sought after the game played at Anfield … it is not who you might think!

Finally, we chat to Football Association of Malawi President Walter Nyamilandu, who is also a member of the all-powerful FIFA Council. He updates us on COVID-19 in his country, as well as FIFA’s plans for the game in another fascinating insight into the world of football.

On The COSAFA Show – Episode 4

* Zambia and Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Enock Mwepu (1:25)

* Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane (12:46)

* Football Association of Malawi President Walter Nyamilandu (23:19)