Latest news with #GavinHunt
The South African
3 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs plot move for Hunt's old forward target
Kaizer Chiefs have ramped up their hunt for a striker ahead of the new season, and have turned their attention back to a forgotten European target, Robert Polievka. The Slovakian attacker, who first caught Chiefs' attention under former coach Gavin Hunt, has re-emerged as a top option. The club originally scouted Polievka in 2020, but a FIFA transfer ban at the time blocked any possible move. A source revealed that the Soweto giants maintained their interest in the striker and tracked his development closely over the years. The current shift in transfer plans, especially with Fiston Mayele reportedly going to Saudi Arabia, has prompted Chiefs to consider Polievka again. 'This is not the first time Chiefs have inquired about Robert (Polievka). In 2020 when Gavin Hunt was the coach he was on that shopping list which included players like Thabo Nodada, Kgaogelo Sekgota, Njabulo Ngcobo and the late Luke Fleurs to mention but a few. But the team was under a FIFA transfer ban. Now they want him again because they believe it's becoming almost impossible to get their main target Fiston Mayele and others,' the source said, as quoted by Soccer Laduma . At 28, Polievka brings far more experience than when Chiefs first considered him at just 24. The striker's form in Europe has not gone unnoticed, and club scouts remain confident he could offer a solution to the club's well-documented scoring struggles. 'They have been following his progress and they believe he can help solve the goalscoring problems Chiefs are currently facing,' the source added. All eyes now turn to newly appointed head coach Nasreddine Nabi, who will assess Polievka's potential once the squad regroups for pre-season training this week. The final decision rests with him, and his verdict could shape Amakhosi's frontline heading into the new campaign. Will Polievka be a good fit at Kaizer Chiefs? Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
03-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
'Not the truth' – Gavin Hunt disputes Teko Modise's claims about his 2007 exit from SuperSport United
Former SuperSport United head coach Gavin Hunt Former SuperSport United coach Gavin Hunt has disputed Teko Modise's version of events that led to the star midfielder's exit from the Tshwane club. Photo: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers Former SuperSport United head coach Gavin Hunt says he disagrees with Teko Modise's side of the story about how he was sold to Orlando Pirates. A month ago, Modise told the Izinja zeGame podcast that he was sold by SuperSport because he did not fit into Hunt's plans. Modise left SuperSport in 2007, and the club went on to win three consecutive PSL titles. But, according to Hunt, selling the attacking midfielder was not his idea as he was planning to build the team around him. 'I'll sit in the media and I'll listen to Teko talk and he talks the biggest load of nonsense because that is not the truth,' Hunt said when speaking on Apex Sports International. 'We played a pre-season game in Australia he won Man of the Match. I was like 'We're going to build a team around this guy'. We get back and we train for a week or two.
The Star
29-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Can SuperSport United make it count against Golden Arrows to avoid PSL playoffs?
Matshelane Mamabolo | Published 15 minutes ago A MATCH that was supposed to have been a celebratory event for a seasoned coach will now be played with much greater significance. Back in February when SuperSport United hosted Golden Arrows at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, the game was all about Gavin Hunt being in charge of his 1,000th professional match. The multiple championship-winning coach was given a guard of honour by both clubs as he walked onto the pitch, and the small crowd were on their feet applauding. But load-shedding spoiled it all, the match being stalled midway through the first half as the lights went off. Then that stanza was completed with the score at 1-1, following goals by Christian Saile and Willemson Ndwandwe, before the darkness and lack of a generator led to its abandonment. Three months later, the two teams will complete the match, with just the second half to be played at noon today at the same venue. It could well be different clubs playing this match – Hunt having long been fired from SuperSport, and his then-counterpart Musa Bilankulu demoted to the assistant role at an Arrows outfit now coached by Manqoba Mngqithi. Back then, both sides were mid-table outfits nursing hopes of a top-eight finish. But now they are bottom dwellers, with the KwaZulu-Natal side having a very slim chance of usurping Richards Bay in eighth place. SuperSport, on the other hand, need to get something out of this match like the desert needs the rain, desperately. Matsatsantsa a Pitori are in 15th place, and will go into the promotion-relegation playoffs with the two sides from the Motsepe Foundation Championship if they do not get at least a point. On the face of it, all they need do is keep Arrows from finding their net, and the former three-time league champions would have their status secured. But it will not be that easy, not with their recent wretched form that has seen them and victories resembling the parallel lines of the railway – destined never to meet. After every match they've played and lost, interim SuperSport coach Andre Arendse spoke confidently that they would do better in the next one. That has not happened, hence the situation they find themselves in. Last weekend, after they lost 2-0 to Richards Bay, the previously confident former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper cut a sorry and dejected figure as he tried to remain hopeful. He lamented their lack of luck, and said he hopes they will enjoy it this time around. They better do so, given the rumours that the club's status is going to be sold to a Free State consortium that wants to revive Bloemfontein Celtic. You can bet they will not want to buy a second division team. It will not be stretching it to say Arendse and his team are facing the most important 45 minutes of their careers. Will they make it count?
IOL News
29-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Can SuperSport United make it count against Golden Arrows to avoid PSL playoffs?
Christian Saile Christian Saile (centre) scored for SuperSport United against Golden Arrows a few months ago. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix A MATCH that was supposed to have been a celebratory event for a seasoned coach will now be played with much greater significance. Back in February when SuperSport United hosted Golden Arrows at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, the game was all about Gavin Hunt being in charge of his 1,000th professional match. The multiple championship-winning coach was given a guard of honour by both clubs as he walked onto the pitch, and the small crowd were on their feet applauding. But load-shedding spoiled it all, the match being stalled midway through the first half as the lights went off. Then that stanza was completed with the score at 1-1, following goals by Christian Saile and Willemson Ndwandwe, before the darkness and lack of a generator led to its abandonment. Three months later, the two teams will complete the match, with just the second half to be played at noon today at the same venue. It could well be different clubs playing this match – Hunt having long been fired from SuperSport, and his then-counterpart Musa Bilankulu demoted to the assistant role at an Arrows outfit now coached by Manqoba Mngqithi. Back then, both sides were mid-table outfits nursing hopes of a top-eight finish. But now they are bottom dwellers, with the KwaZulu-Natal side having a very slim chance of usurping Richards Bay in eighth place. SuperSport, on the other hand, need to get something out of this match like the desert needs the rain, desperately. Matsatsantsa a Pitori are in 15th place, and will go into the promotion-relegation playoffs with the two sides from the Motsepe Foundation Championship if they do not get at least a point. On the face of it, all they need do is keep Arrows from finding their net, and the former three-time league champions would have their status secured. But it will not be that easy, not with their recent wretched form that has seen them and victories resembling the parallel lines of the railway – destined never to meet. After every match they've played and lost, interim SuperSport coach Andre Arendse spoke confidently that they would do better in the next one. That has not happened, hence the situation they find themselves in. Last weekend, after they lost 2-0 to Richards Bay, the previously confident former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper cut a sorry and dejected figure as he tried to remain hopeful.
Daily Maverick
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Mamelodi Sundowns now just two matches from long-coveted Champions League glory
They have yearned for this moment since 2016, when they were crowned African champions for the first time. Now Mamelodi Sundowns are back in the final of the Champions League, for the third time. All those associated with Mamelodi Sundowns have dreamt for almost a decade about the situation they find themselves in now. The Brazilians are contesting their first African Champions League final since 2016, when it ended in a 3-1 aggregate victory for them over Egyptian outfit Zamalek. In 2024/25 they make a third return to the decider on the grandest stage of African club soccer – with their opponents being another Egyptian side, the Pyramids. To reach the final Sundowns saw off record African champions Al Ahly, squeezing into the decider on the away-goals rule following a 1-1 aggregate score over two legs. The Pyramids pirouetted past Orlando Pirates, claiming a 3-2 aggregate victory to book their spot in their first Champions League final, in just their second appearance in the continental competition. The clubs will face off in the first leg on 24 May at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. The reverse fixture is scheduled to take place in Cairo on 1 June. Undisputed South African champs Despite Pirates' best efforts this season, Sundowns recently retained their Premiership title, winning South Africa's top-flight soccer league for an emphatic eighth consecutive season. The Pretoria side now have more league titles in the Premier Soccer League era than all the previous league winners combined. Their latest league conquest placed Masandawana on 15 league titles. The next-best sides are Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs with four Premiership titles apiece, followed by SuperSport United with three. Santos, Manning Rangers and Bidvest Wits have one each. But, as respected South African coach and four-time Premiership champion Gavin Hunt said, the metric of success for Sundowns is not how many times they win the local league, although it's certainly a key component of a successful season. He opined that a memorable season for Sundowns involves continental success. 'They should be judged in the Champions League. They should be in the semifinal and final every year and that's where you should judge them. Because the gap is so much bigger than everybody in the league,' Hunt said. Final hurdle After years of being trapped in the quarterfinal stage (losing there three seasons in a row), the Brazilians finally shattered that glass ceiling. They reached the semifinals twice (2023 and 2024) under the tutelage of Rulani Mokwena, but fell short of the final each time. This took some of the shine off the magnificent work Mokwena and his technical team did in general. On the back of those couple of semifinal tumbles, Masandawana have finally cleared that hurdle. Now only two matches stand between them and ascending to the pinnacle of African soccer again. Portuguese tactician Miguel Cardoso, in his first season with Sundowns, has delivered the long-awaited final. Now they will be aiming to do what they did with Pitso Mosimane in 2016. This is why Cardoso – who also reached last season's Champions League final (with Tunisia's Espérance) – was recruited by Sundowns in December 2024. Cardoso succeeded Manqoba Mngqithi as head coach after Sundowns had a mixed start to their season. They toiled in the Champions League as they collected just two points from as many games under Mngqithi. They scored a single goal. They were also vanquished by Premiership rookies Magesi in the Carling Knockout Cup final in November, losing 2-1 to the Limpopo team. Change of guard Sundowns acted quickly as they released Mngqithi after he'd spent a decade at the club, first as assistant to Mosimane, then as head coach. 'We must never be slaves to our history. We need to celebrate it and make sure it's something that drives us forward,' said Sundowns chairperson Thlopie Motsepe as the club welcomed Cardoso. 'As a club of 54 years of heritage and existence, we always have to keep striving to grow, adapt and find new ways to achieve our dreams. We made our decision on that need,' Motsepe said. Cardoso has coached at clubs such as Porto, Braga, Deportivo La Coruna, Celta Vigo, AEK Athens, Nantes and Shakhtar Donetsk. Despite this vast experience, some in South Africa expressed doubt about Cardoso's capabilities. At the time of his appointment the Portuguese coach had only won one trophy as a head coach, clinching the Tunisian top-flight with Espérance. This made people doubt whether he could truly transform the fortunes of Sundowns in the Champions League. With Masandawana's recent Premiership triumph, he's now won two trophies. He can add a third over the next week. However, Cardoso has played down the significance of his successful start to life in South Africa, saying he never paid any attention to the noise to begin with. 'I don't need external validation. I don't live for that, I live for other things. So, people having doubts about me was never a problem for me,' Cardoso stated. Despite this being the Pyramids' first Champions League final, it is not their maiden continental final. They played in the 2020 Confederation Cup decider, losing 1-0 Morocco's RS Berkane. The Pyramids are a relatively new team. They were only founded in 2008, as Al Assiouty Sport. In 2018, under new ownership, they rebranded as the Pyramids. Since then they have been a disruptor, not only in the Egyptian Premier League but in Africa as well. Hence, they find themselves in this position. They will be no pushovers. DM Champions League final fixtures Saturday, 24 May Sunday, 1 June
