Amakhozi for Life!

It's about that time of year again. You know the one I'm talking about. Begins the end of August and go all the way to April. That's right! It's the South African Professional Soccer League season. While the PSL may not have the same status as the English Premiership or the Italian Serie A, it's definitely one of the most exciting sporting exhibitions in the world.


My team, of course, is the Kaizer Chiefs .

The Chiefs, more commonly known by their Zulu nickname Amakhozi, were started in 1970 by Kaizer Motaung who still runs the team. Motaung was a star player for another major Soweto team called the Orlando Pirates until he left South Africa to play for the Atlanta Chiefs of the North American Soccer league. When he returned after the league collapsed, he got into a fight with the Orlando owner, rallied other disillusioned Pirates players, started his own team and a vicious rivalry that continues to this day. 43 people were killed in 2000 at a Pirates/Chiefs game when the stadium was oversold and fans rushed into the Chiefs' home field Ellis Park.

The Amakhozi are one of the most successful club teams in the world in terms of both wealth and success. In their short life span they have won over fifty cups and titles, including the prestigious African Cup last year, equivalent to winning the UEFA cup. Their jersey is one of the most recognized in Southern Africa, as is their slogan, "Peace, Love and Unity."

As this new season begins, it is safe to assume that the Chiefs will challenge for the league title against the Pirates and last year's winner Sundowns from Pretoria although the path will be made more difficult if they lose their star player Jabu Pule to Marseilles who are threatening to lure him away. To follow their success, you can check on the sports page of iafrica.com. Win or lose, the Chiefs are always fun to watch as are their fans, famously described as a "Hallowe'en party gone terribly, terribly wrong"


Pictures from the http://www.goafrica.co.za/joburg/feb_2002/soccer.stm