Cavin Johnson's first task as SuperSport United coach: MANCHESTER CITY live and dangerous at Loftus on Sunday!

CAVIN JOHNSON faces possibly the most frightening introduction possible to his new job as SuperSport United boss on Sunday – when he faces a club by the name of Manchester City.

The most expensively assembled team in the history of English football flew in to Durban’s King Shaka airport today before their Nelson Mandela Invitational opener against Matsatsantsa at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday.

And yes, Jesus is coming – Jesus Navas. Sheikh Mansour’s most recent acquisition from Spain's Sevilla is included in the City squad under the management of new Italian coach Manuel Pellegrini, who replaced Roberto Mancini despite their runners-up finish in the Barclays Premier League last season.

Speaking on my show BOLLOCKZ on www.ballz.co.uk, an excited Johnson – who moved to SuperSport last month after taking Platinum Stars to a surprising runners-up spot in the PSL last season – told me: “Neal, in all respects, yes, City players are among the highest-paid players in the world but for us at SuperSport it’s an honour to play them for Nelson Mandela.

“But on the other hand, in England, City are one of the top four teams. In South Africa, SuperSport United are one of the top four teams!

“Two different brands of football are coming together – hopefully on the day we’ll have the advantage. City have had to fly 11 hours to get to our country!

Johnson, who replaces three-time PSL champion Gavin Hunt at the helm, revealed: “Thuso Phala, the man I brought with me from Platinum Stars, is injured unfortunately, but you will see former AmaTuks Senegal strike Mame Niang.

“David Mathebula and Bennett Chenene from Moroka Swallows will definitely play. We have a new youngster called Morne Nel – he’s only 17. I might give him ten minutes against Manchester City! He’s a midfielder. Who knows, what a dream that would be for him! Dino Moketse is another youngster – but he played a few games last season.

OUT IN AFRICA: England captain Joe Hart and City's
Belgian captain Vincent Kompany on the
road from King Shaka airport yesterday

“We have agreed to allow eight or nine substitutions so we will be able to give a lot of players a run.”

Among his more established stars are Sameehg Doutie, rumoured to be wanted in Europe, South Africa’s fastest defender Bevan Fransmann – who will fly off to join Bafana Bafana’s COSAFA Cup campaign in Zambia after the game – and Mor Diouf, who memorably scored from 70 yards in the Tshwane derby against Mamelodi Sundowns last season.

Diouf told me after that goal he loves the long range efforts though England goalkeeper Joe Hart may be harder to beat from the halfway line than Wayne Sandilands!

“The question is, can my players get a hold on players like David Silva or their new Brazilian Fernandinho? That will bring a little bit of spark into our lives at Loftus on Sunday!

“For me it’s about giving the crowd a good display of football – and hopefully we’ll be able to score six or seven!"

England's 2012 champions City, like neighbours United and Chelsea, start the season under new management too.

Their new Italian boss Manuel Pellegrini arrived in Durban today insisting: "I am here to work with young players and the professional team. Winning trophies is important but it is not just about that." 

Johnson grins: “At the present moment, considering what Manchester City have done in the Premier League, it couldn’t be a better start for me at SuperSport.

“We’ve had Engen join us as sponsors and we have exciting development programmes in place.

“I don’t actually support any club in England, as a coach I need to see all the other teams and what they do!

“I’m enjoying this job to the fullest right now. It’s one of the big teams in South Africa, we have a lot of personalities and I’ll see you on Sunday at Loftus!”

You can follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol- or you can meet me at Eastwoods, the Loftus bar, at high noon before Sunday’s game with SuperSport United fanatic Trevor van Wyk and other twitter buddies!

EXCLUSIVE: How I revealed Cavin Johnson's move to SuperSport United in May:  http://neal-collins.blogspot.com/2013/06/miracle-worker-cavin-johnson-leaves.html

CITY'S PRE-SEASON TOUR IN FULL!

July 14 Supersport United (South Africa)

July 18 AmaZulu FC (South Africa)

July 24 South China (Hong Kong)

July 27 Tottenham/Sunderland (Hong Kong)

July 31 AC Milan (Germany)

August 1 Bayern Munich/Sao Paulo (Germany)

August 10 Arsenal (Finland)

UNFORGIVABLE: the Nelson Mandela tweet I should NEVER have sent

Fighting on: Nelson Mandela

THIS is a tough blog to write. I’ve blundered. Got it wrong. Disrespected a great statesman. Messed-up unforgivably. For the nearly 10,000 followers on twitter and 2,000 friends on Facebook, utter apologies. To everyone I offended, including the great man and his family, I have no words other than SORRY.

On Thursday at 1pm I tweeted: “Nelson Mandela’s passing will be announced at a press conference just after 7pm tonight. Good source. #madiba #rip.” IT WAS RUBBISH. UTTER BOLLOCKS.

Within minutes, over 50 retweets. Dozens of replies. Then the phone started ringing. Then President Jacob Zuma emerged from the hospital in Pretoria to tell us Madiba was “critical but stable” and was showing signs of improvement. And his family had a go at the foreign media. I started to fidget.

I tried to get in to my tweets on the blackberry. eNCAnews demanded I remove any mention of their station from my site. I did. Then they called to say I would never appear on their station again. I made a couple of calls. Panic. And as soon as I bloody well could, I deleted the offending tweet.

Unforgivable. I couldn’t go near my twitter account. I felt nauseous. Sickened by my own actions. I didn’t emerge from the pits all day on Friday. The madness circled in my head. No sleep, mental self-flagellation. I still haven’t read the avalanche of condemnation which, rightly, came down on my stupid head.

This morning, I will try to explain my actions, but this in no way explains THAT tweet. I don’t expect a tweet like that to be forgiven, or forgotten.

But for what it’s worth, here’s how it happened.

It was just after I went live with the second edition of my new show “BOLLOCKZ” on www.ballz.co.za, my phone had been ringing during the show. I was on a high. Good show. The phone rang again, about 1pm. It was a producer from a global 24-hour news station who had asked me to go on air on Saturday morning to talk my usual bollockz about sport.

He referred to the email below, which I quote, mistakes and all, word-for-word:

“I am a producer with Arise TV and is producing the show you have been invited to as a guest on Saturday.

“I need to get in contact with you to talk through some questions. At this point we believe that most of the discussion will be around Nelson Mandela and the impact he has had on the sporting scene in South Africa.

“There is a news conference later this evening and we are expecting that it will be an briefing on the passing away of Mr. Mandela. It that is the case, our Saturday interview will be a look back and a reflection and the sport interview will be very important.

“I tried calling earlier. If you get this message, please call back or answer in an e-mail and I will call you back.”

The producer almost glossed over the actual press conference. We talked through how to deal with the situation on the Saturday morning, how I would talk about Madiba’s extraordinary actions – portrayed in the Hollywood film “Invictus” – during the 1995 World Cup. We agreed I would take the story on, talk about Nelson Mandela’s belief in the unifying power of sport and how, perhaps, current president Zuma could use a bit of the same.

And as I came off the phone. Another email from… let’s just say a foreign journalist. Saying the same thing. Press conference 7pm. And another call soon after. “We’ve got all the programming ready, we’ll push the button as soon as the announcement is made.”

Of course, that morning, there was a sombre feel to the day. President Obama’s visit was called into question, rumours were flying. I sent the tweet. There was no way to check it's veracity. I don't blame the people mentioned above, they were just keeping me informed. I don't know how I could have gone public with it.

Within an hour, President Zuma was telling us Madiba was improving and the family were having a go at people JUST like me.

In a matter of seconds, I had turned in to a vulture. One of those unfortunate news reporters assigned to hospital watch. Only I went a step further. After largely staying away from the saga outside the hospital in Pretoria, I was knee deep. And I’d twisted a knife I really should have stayed well away from. I'm a sports journalist not a bloody newsman. Unforgivable.

As we all know, deleting tweets is no good when twitter.com offers a retweet button. There is no escape. I hold my hands up. Idiot. Unfollow by all means. Never read my stuff again. I understand. I know I would.

I am deeply, deeply sorry.

May Mahlangu: Sadly, South Africa's only current world class player won't be playing against the Ivory Coast on Saturday

When Bafana Bafana turn out for the Nelson Mandela Challenge against the Ivory Coast on Saturday, South Africa's best current player will be inexplicably absent.
While captain Steven Pienaar struggles to get a game for Spurs, centre-back Bongani Khumalo languishes on loan at Reading and veteran striker Benni McCarthy - 34 this week - has opted out of international football, May Mahlangu can rightly claim to be the Rainbow Nation's only world class player right now.
Currently plying his trade with Swedish outfit Helsingborgs IF, Mahlangu was awarded Sweden's Player of the Year accolade at a lavish ceremony on Monday night - barely 24 hours after scoring a wondergoal and being named Man of the Match in the Swedish Cup final last weekend.
While beleaguered Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane dithers over his selection to play Africa's No1 ranked side in Port Elizabeth this weekend, he continues to ignore Mahlangu, who has been selected for Shakes Mashaba's troubled Baby Bafana - the under 23 side formerly known as AmaGlugGlug are headed to the Olympics in London next year - for the pair of friendlies in Algeria on November 12 and 15. Sadly, due to "injuries" and "non-co-operation from the clubs" that squad currently boasts just eight players as of last night.
But that won't trouble Mahlangu, after a season which has seen his club win the Swedish League and Cup double for the first time since 1941. His performances alongside established star Adrian Gashi at the Olympia Stadium have been little short of sensational - a Scandinavian Lionel Messi some say.
Farouk Khan, the scout who first spotted Mahlangu as a talented but penniless orphan in Secunda, Mpumalanga over a decade ago, said on South Africa's 702 radio station this morning: "We spotted May early on. Both his parents had died so he came to live with us for six years.
"When Helsingborgs came along they were first interested in signing a certain striker called Siyabonga Nomvete, one of our players, about ten years ago. But when they arrived and saw the standard of our academy, they decided not to buy Nomvete and chose to invest in our teenagers instead."
Khan, who runs a scouting school known as the Stars of Africa Academy, also unearthed Tokelo Rantie, the Orlando Pirates super-sub who came to light a fortnight ago with a superb late winner against Jomo Cosmos in Port Elizabeth.
Khan added: "Helsingborgs helped us financially for some years before the Swedish Krona devalued and they had to pull out. But they always kept an eye on our youngsters. And then they asked May to go over and play. He made his debut in August 2009.
"It's been fabulous for him this season. He was the best player, never got substituted and he scored in their cup final, now he has been voted their player of the year by the players and the journalists.
"He isn't a big lad (173cm, 5ft 8in) but he is quick, very quick. And so fit. We did the usual tests on him and realised that if he wasn't a footballer, he could easily be a marathon runner. That's how impressive his fitness readings were. The best we have ever seen."
Fitness is only half of it. Last Sunday, May Sifiwe Mahlangu, 22 on May 1 (hence the name), produced that cup final super-strike, beating six defenders to find the net after starting a run from his own half as Helsingborgs beat rivals Kalmar FF 3-1 to complete a magnificent treble. They won the Super Cup at the start of the season and ran away with the Allsvenskan League title as Mahlangu played in every minute of the 26 games he was available for. His side lifted their first championship in 14 years without losing a home game and finished five points clear of nearest rivals AIK Solna as they secured a Champions League place for next season.
Helsingborg coach Conny Karlsson, installing him in the attacking midfield role at the start of the season after he played 19 games in his first term at the club, said he would build his squad around the unknown South African - and he never regretted a moment. Mahlangu scored five goals in 35 games and produced the most assists in the league.
Karlsson purred: "With Mahlangu, we have won everything you can win in Sweden this season. Somebody may match that one day, but you can't do any better."

Perhaps somebody should tell the unfortunate Pitso. While he attempts to juggle the same old bunch who failed (despite the glorious victory dance) to qualify for next year's African Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, Mahlangu and Ajax Amsterdam's Thulani Serero remain with the juniors. Curious.

Soweto boy Tshabalala so nearly gives the hosts a perfect start

Siphiwe Tshabalala, born in Soweto 25 years ago, sent his nation into ecstacy in the township of his birth yesterday with a crashing 54^th minute goal against highly-fancied Mexico in the opening game of the 2010 World Cup.

For weeks, months, years, the Rainbow Nation waited to show their true colours to the world. And when Africa’s first World Cup welcomed its first goal – an absolute cracker into the far top corner from the dreadlocked Kaizer Chiefs midfielder – the noise was deafening as 96,000 at the magnificent Soccer City Stadium on the outskirts of Soweto blew their Vuvuzelas.

Their hysteria was turned down a notch by Mexican defender Rafael Marquez, who levelled unmarked in the 79^th minute, but a point against the Mexicans – ranked 17 in the world – is not a bad effort from team ranked 83^rd, the weakest host nation of all time.

In truth, South Africa could easily have been out of it by half-time. Mexico started like an express train, with West Ham striker Guillermo Franco missing two clear headers and having a third effort saved by Itumeleng Khune.

With sub-standard left back Lucas Thwala tormented by Tottenham’s Giovanni Dos Santos and Arsenal’s Carlos Vela, it looked like it might be a rout. After half-an-hour, the visitors had enjoyed 61 percent of the possession and while Khune was constantly engaged, while Oscar Perez at the other end – becoming Mexico’s oldest player – was left to study this fascinating gathering.

Thwala was duly put out of his misery at half-time and South Africa, fitter, leaner, meaner, began to punch above their weight.

All week long the hype has swept around Bafana Bafana after an unexpected unbeaten run of 12 games since the return of 1994 Brazilian World Cup winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira last November.

On Wednesday, 180,000 turned out in Sandton to catch a glimpse of their heroes on the team bus. Their is a golden South Africa shirt on every citizen, a flag for sale on every street corner. Parreira said then the whole thing was getting out of hand, but a kick-off concert at the nearby Super Stadium went without a hitch last night and the opening ceremony was as good as anything I’ve seen – right up there with my favourites, Sydney 2000 and France 1998.

Even the absence of former president Nelson Mandela, the 91-year-old who took the nation to freedom (and the 1995 rugby World Cup), failed to overshadow the enthusiasm. Mandela’s great-grand-daughter Zenani was killed in a car crash after last night’s concert.

But still they came, still they paid tribute to the great Madiba, father of the nation. And to his footballers. In the end, it was South Africa who might have snatched it. The pace of Mphela put him clear in the final minute, but he struck the post as the Vuvuzelas went into full air-raid mode.