Marked for Percy Lorch
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces14 Jun 2027
The mood at Jomo Cosmos has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Mooketsi Phindela was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The terraces14 Jun 2027
Boards get told what they have done wrong for years and hear nothing on the days they get it right. This is one of those days: Percy Lorch from Black Aces for $97.0K, and a ticket office having a very good morning.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Words at Jomo Cosmos training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Riyaaz Koopstadt is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market14 Jun 2027
He is 18, and nobody at Jomo Cosmos signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mboniseni Mbandlwa, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market22 Feb 2027
Percy Mphela hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Black Aces can pretend not to have heard.
Match20 Feb 2027
No end in sight to Black Aces's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Black Aces has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Ronwen Lorch was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Words at Black Aces training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Bruno Bazán is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad22 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Sifiso Ngcobo
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Loan watch22 Feb 2027
“I watch every Black Aces game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Tusker runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
5.75 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match7 Dec 2026
9 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market7 Dec 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Black Aces, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Percy Mphela: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Black Aces have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Boardroom7 Dec 2026
An order from above at Black Aces: somebody has to go
Balance sheets do not care about form or about who the manager was planning to build around. The board have decided a sale is required, and the only question left is which name ends up carrying it.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Ronwen Lorch in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Black Aces this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match5 Dec 2026
Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Teboho Mkhize falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Jairo and Black Aces agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market16 Nov 2026
Percy Mphela hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Black Aces can pretend not to have heard.
Match14 Nov 2026
6 matches without a win for Black Aces
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Black Aces are no longer polite ones.
Squad16 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Black Aces may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match14 Nov 2026
1‑3 to Golden Arrows, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words at Black Aces training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Teboho Mkhize is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match22 Aug 2026
Beaten 1‑5 by Mamelodi Sundowns, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Squad24 Aug 2026
There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market24 Aug 2026
The offer from SuperSport United for Khama Mabunda was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market24 Aug 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Black Aces, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad24 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Black Aces this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match22 Aug 2026
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between Black Aces and Mamelodi Sundowns, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Words at Black Aces training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Teboho Mkhize is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad24 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Teboho Mothiba
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom24 Aug 2026
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.