Let’s Be Honest, Chillers: Mofokeng Deserved Better Than That Bench

Nah, but listen — benching a player while his team is out there drawing 3-3 in a match that actually matters? That’s the kind of decision that gets a coach a strongly worded voice note from every taxi rank in Soweto.

According to soccerladuma.co.za, Relebohile Mofokeng was kept on the bench for the whole match, and his side still couldn’t hold on for a win, settling for a 3-3 draw. I don’t care how deep your squad is, mara, when your most exciting player is sitting there in his tracksuit while the scoreline is doing gymnastics, somebody owes the fans an explanation.

So who else got told their fate this week?

Cairo turned into the room where Mzansi football found out its 2026/27 continental homework, Chillers. The CAF Champions League first preliminary round draw dropped, and thesouthafrican.com confirmed Orlando Pirates now know exactly who’s standing between them and the group stages.

Zimbabwe’s Scottland FC also learned their opponents in the same round, per thesouthafrican.com, so this isn’t just a local story — the whole region was glued to the draw ceremony like it was a Big Brother eviction.

Wait, since when is Sundowns the scary one?

Here’s the bit that made me sit up. Mamelodi Sundowns aren’t just entering this competition, they’re being hailed — actual respect, according to soccerladuma.co.za — as one of the toughest opponents in the whole draw. Honest, that’s the kind of reputation you build with years of trophies, not vibes.

Meanwhile Kaizer Chiefs found out who they’re facing in the Confederation Cup, with two separate reports from thesouthafrican.com and thesouthafrican.com confirming the pairing. Two headlines about the same fixture tells you something, Chillers — the streets, and apparently the newsroom, could not stop talking about it.

Who’s actually running this show?

All these preliminary pairings, across Champions League and Confederation Cup, got organised under CAF’s continental leadership, with figures like Hazem Emam involved in how these tournaments get structured, per soccerladuma.co.za. And on the women’s side, CAF’s also gearing up for the 14th edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, according to theafricandream.net — so don’t let anyone tell you it’s a quiet year for African football administration.

My verdict? Sundowns earned their scary reputation, Pirates and Chiefs got fixtures worth talking about at the chesa nyama this weekend, and whoever left Mofokeng on that bench for a whole 3-3 thriller has some explaining to do to the fans who pay to watch him play, not warm a seat.

Chillers, was benching Mofokeng during that draw a tactical masterstroke or a straight-up disrespect to the fans — where do you stand?