In the 82nd episode of the Arena Sports Show, presenter Clauiee Grace Mpanza and regular guest Mahlatse Mphahlele are joined by former Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana.
In a wide-ranging interview, they discuss the start of the Betway Premiership where Sundowns, Sekhukhune United, Durban City, Polokwane City and Kaizer Chiefs have emerged as early pacesetters.
The Brazilians legend weighed in on the coaching situation at Chiefs, where coach Nasreddine Nabi is suspended due to issues over his qualifications and negotiating a termination of his contract. Kekana’s view is legendary coach Pitso Mosimane, often linked to the Chiefs coaching job, could help Amakhosi reclaim their glory because he is a workaholic who knows the South African football landscape.
Kekana, who lifted the Champions League and Super Cup under Mosimane at Chloorkop, said if such a move happened players at Naturena would be in for a huge shock because of Mosimane’s high standards.
“I don’t know if he will coach Chiefs but if that happens, he will take them to a place they have never been before. If they want him, they must clean their house because he has a strong personality,” Kekana, who won eight league titles during a successful career where he also turned out for SuperSport United, said.
In one of the highlights of the interview, Kekana called for the scrapping of the under-23 age limit rule in the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC). The regulation demands that five players under 23 be on the field at all times in an MFC team's line-up in matches in the second tier.
He argued the league does not exist for development purposes but for teams that are fighting tooth and nail to gain promotion to the PSL and the ruling places coaches there under pressure.
Kekana also said the rest of the teams in the Betway Premiership have to be consistent through the 2025-26 campaign to dethrone Sundowns, who have won the of the league title for eight consecutive seasons.
