South African football legend Phil ‘Chippa’ Masinga will always be remembered for his spectacular goal against Congo that took the national team, Bafana Bafana, to their first FIFA World Cup.
Celebrations broke out around the country as fans prepared themselves for the 1998 World Cup in France.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3669" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/CTP6101-1024x605-300x177.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="177" />
“That was a great goal. I remember before the Congo game that a lot was expected from us to win so that we can qualify for our first ever World Cup. I was motivated to do well in that particular game, playing in front of our supporters who wanted us to win. I was determined to make use of any scoring opportunity that I got, so when I got that chance I took a long range shot and it went in. I was so happy after scoring, you could see in my celebrations that the goal meant a lot to me and it was very important for us to win,” says Masinga.
“Qualifying for the World Cup for the first time was something special for us as a team. We prepared ourselves well for all the games that we played. What really inspired me was the good team spirit in the Bafana Bafana camp. We were always determined to help each other and make the nation proud,” he says.
Masinga became a superstar from humble beginnings. As a boy, he played football in the dusty streets of Stilfontein, a mining town in North West Province. His professional career started at Jomo Cosmos in 1987 before spending three successful years at Mamelodi Sundowns.
“We had some good players at Cosmos, the likes of Augustine Makalakalane, the late Thomas Madigage and Helman Mkhalele. At that time we were doing very well at Cosmos and we used to give some big teams a tough time whenever they played against us,” he says.
“My move to Sundowns was another step forward in my career and we won some important trophies. I played alongside many top strikers at Sundowns and we used to keep the defenders from the opposition busy. I remember when Daniel Mudau came to us; we used to play well together, scoring some important goals for the team.”
In 1994, his transfer to Leeds United in the English Premier League, along with Lucas Radebe, made headlines and the club’s fans called him Waltzing Masinga. His opportunities at a star-studded Leeds were limited and after two seasons, he moved to St Gallen in Switzerland where he stayed for seven months. He then went to Italy where he played for Salernitana and Bari.
“Coming from the South African league straight to Leeds United in England was a remarkable achievement for me. The standard of soccer at Leeds was very high. It was a different environment because of the weather but as a professional I managed to cope in those conditions. It was good for me that I was surrounded by quality players at Leeds. My fellow countryman Lucas Radebe and Anthony Yeboah from Ghana then came to join me at Leeds. It was good to have them around.”
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3668" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/CTP6086-889x1024-260x300.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="300" />
“When I went to Switzerland it was much easier for me to adapt and settle quickly because of the experience I had at Leeds. I did not stay long there however the short time that I spent there was fine for me. In Italy, I stayed for one season at Salernitania and I spent four years at Bari. It was a wonderful experience that I went through in Italy because the standard of soccer there is also very competitive and I managed to improve as a player,” he says.
Masinga made a huge impact in South African colors. He was part of the team that won the African Cup of Nations in 1996.
“Winning the African Cup of Nations in 1996 was a great honor for the team. It is the biggest competition in Africa so I was very excited. The team played very well during the games that we won. We had a strong technical team and the support we got at home was very important.”
He scored great goals for the national team and was comfortable partnering any striker that was picked alongside him.
“As a striker I enjoyed my role in the national team and I partnered upfront with the different strikers. Whether I combined with Mark Williams or Shaun Bartlett it was very important for me to deliver for the team,” says Masinga, who scored 18 goals in 58 matches for Bafana Bafana.
Life hasn’t been easy since his playing days. Masinga went from being a multi-millionaire to bankrupt. In recent years, South African newspapers have reported that he had to move back into his mother’s house and sell his football souvenirs.
Masinga is still very passionate about the game. He has the Safa Level One coaching qualification and is currently studying sports administration. He is involved with a development project that aims to produce the superstars of the future.
“Soccer has always been part of my life, that is why I am inspired to give back to the game. (Former captain of South Africa) Neil Tovey and I are busy scouting and recruiting the up and coming youngsters who are the future Bafana Bafana stars. I enjoy guiding the youngsters. I feel there is a lot of talent in South Africa and it is important to help the youngsters in a good organized structure like we are doing. These youngsters that we are coaching are showing great promise, they do well when we organize friendly games against other top PSL teams. They have a bright future.”
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3667" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/CTP6082-1024x684-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
“When the right time comes, I feel I can also contribute to the game as an administrator. Through my experience as a player and coach, I feel I have what it takes to add value as an administrator,” he says.
Masinga has achieved so much on the field and is now leading the way off it as well.

From Dusty Streets  To European Dreams

Anastasia Tsichlas and Ria Ledwaba’s names are synonymous with football in South Africa. The two are seen as female powerhouses and adored by fans and players alike—both were owners of hugely successful Premier Soccer League (PSL) teams.
Tsichlas and Ledwaba have made names for themselves in the male-dominated football world, but women are still underrepresented in all areas of the sport. Even the South African Football Association (Safa) is lacking on this front—most of its senior management is male.
“We want to see transformation. As the first woman to have made it in football, I felt one of my responsibilities [apart from developing soccer abilities], was to develop other women,” says Tsichlas.
&nbsp;
It’s not been an easy road, says Ledwaba. Being a woman involved in football meant treading a difficult path with few mentors and little sponsorship.
“Finance plays a big role in running a successful team. When I entered soccer, I entered it because that was my heart’s true calling. The environment was hostile, but I persevered because I was determined to get the best for the players and to get my team promoted to the Premier Soccer League,” says Ledwaba.
Tsichlas, the first woman in Africa to be elected to Fifa, owned Mamelodi Sundowns before it was taken over by mining magnate Patrice Motsepe and Ledwaba owned Ria Stars.
“The dream of Ria Stars was realized. My team played in the PSL for two seasons but due to lack of sponsorship I could no longer manage to run the team successfully. I’m still involved in football through the commercial committee at Safa and the Safa Women’s Soccer Committee,” says Ledwaba.
Transformation is a word both use often. Ledwaba was recently appointed deputy chairperson of the Transformation Commission set up by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.
Tsichlas was the general manager of Sundowns at a time when most scoffed at the mere idea of a woman holding such a position. Her strategy there was to employ women in strategic positions as a way to address the gender imbalance.
“I like to develop women not only in the sport but also in jobs with responsibilities,” she says.
Sundowns was the best team from 1990 to 2000. Tsichlas recalls endless days in the townships during the stormy 1980s—“the glory days of football,” she says.
“The power of football is tremendous. It is unbelievable how it can bring people together,” says Tsichlas.
Today, South African football is a shadow of its former self. Tsichlas says the problem lies in a lack of development and the absence of big stars.
“Big stars come from development, from the townships. We need to develop players. We can’t keep buying the best players. I’d rather have a player who came through my structures and loved the club, a player with a real hunger to play. These are players who have soccer in their hearts and not in their pockets,” says Tsichlas.
Ledwaba says the country has world-class facilities, but development lags.
“Transformation is required in most schools. Soccer needs to be part of every primary and high school sport curriculum,” she says.
It’s a sentiment Tsichlas echoes.
How then does South Africa get back into the game?
“With the proper technical and administration, we’ll get back into it. We also need to learn to build from the bottom up,” says Ledwaba.
Tsichlas, who has earned the moniker ‘The Iron Lady’, is more forthright and places the blame on too much politics in football.
“It can be done if we all speak the same language. We have the resources—money through sponsors—and the ability. But we don’t have unity because there is a lot of politics in our football, that is why we keep failing as a football nation. We blame the coaches and the players but we don’t look in the mirror at ourselves, as administrators. It starts at the top and trickles down to the clubs. We have to unite football like years ago when we were the top team in Africa,” she says.
Women’s football on the other hand, seems to be in better state. Banyana Banyana qualified to play at the Olympics.
“But with women’s soccer, the marketing of the national team needs to improve and we need to fill the stadiums when they play,” says Ledwaba.
Unlike their male counterparts, women footballers do not earn salaries but rather bonuses as they are not seen as professional players. Tsichlas believes a women’s section in the PSL is key in developing women’s football.
Ledwaba’s exit from Ria Stars was fuelled by big companies’ tendency to support the big teams.
“But the PSL teams now get a sizeable monthly allowance from PSL so every team is on an equal footing,” she says.
Still, Ledwaba has no regrets.
“My dream was realized—I succeeded against all odds. No regrets, just plenty of lessons. I learnt my limits and I got to understand the dynamics of a male-dominated industry,” says Ledwaba.
Tsichlas has several football feathers in her cap. She is the first woman elected to the National Soccer League (NSL)/PSL executive, as well as the first woman to be elected to the executive committee of Safa. She is also the first South African woman representative on the Confederation of African Football.

Tag: South African Football

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

From Dusty Streets To European Dreams

Tackling A Man’s World