The Free State Stars Chronicle
Market31 Aug 2026
Free State Stars turn down Djoliba for Andile Mabunda
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
No sign of nerves from Percy Mabunda at 20 — 7.78
The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Percy Mabunda did not need any: 7.78, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Market31 Aug 2026
Itumeleng Jali puts it in writing
“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 The request is on a desk at Free State Stars, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Free State Stars
Dean Mothiba 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.
Match29 Aug 2026
Free State Stars see off Chippa United
Three points for Free State Stars, 2‑1 the final word against Chippa United in a contest settled by the finer margins.
The terraces31 Aug 2026
The crowd has taken to Percy Mabunda
At 20 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Ninety minutes of Thamsanqa Williams at his very best
Marked 8.38. Players have careers without a single afternoon like this in them, and he has just had one in front of everybody at Free State Stars.
Squad31 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Percy Dolly
“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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Luther Hlatshwayo 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.
In brief
- Player ratings Nobody could get near Siyabonga Vilakazi
- Squad Thamsanqa Williams finally opens his account
- Player ratings Dean Mothiba ran the game