Manchester City is examining candidates to strengthen its winger position. According to the Daily Mail, the 'city' club's attention is focused on Chelsea winger Pedro Neto.
According to a source, Manchester City's current coach, Enzo Maresca, previously established a good relationship with Pedro Neto. It is also noted that Manchester City showed interest in the Portuguese footballer even before his transfer from Wolverhampton to Chelsea in the summer of 2024.
Since joining Chelsea, Pedro Neto has participated in 103 matches in all competitions, scoring 19 goals and providing 19 assists. According to Transfermarkt, the market value of this 25-year-old footballer is estimated at 60 million euros.
South Africa has released its list of 20 athletes to participate in the upcoming IIHF Women's Hockey World Championship. This squad represents a combination of experienced international players and young, promising talents.
The squad was presented in Belgium and the Netherlands on Sunday. Team captain Edith Molikoe leads the group, which includes 10 Olympic champions, nine of whom represented South Africa at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The national team is preparing to face the world's best teams starting in mid-August.
The announcement followed a promising preparation period during which South Africa secured a convincing 4-0 victory over Namibia in a series of test matches in Cape Town. This allowed the coaching staff to refine various combinations before finalizing the squad.
Experienced players Ongizive Mali and Ntsopa Mokoena will join Molikoe, both of whom marked their 50th international appearance during the series against Namibia. Hannah Pearce also earned a spot after becoming the top scorer against Namibia, netting six goals in four matches, highlighting her importance from penalty corners.
Tahira Augusti and Ontatile 'Tati' Zulu were also included in the squad, adding experience. Young players Ane Yanse van Vuuren and Kaylin Marie will aim to transition smoothly from the Junior World Championship to the main adult global tournament. South African President Deon Morgan congratulated the athletes on their selection, calling participation in the World Championship the greatest honor for a hockey player.
The squad announcement came shortly after Sports Minister Geyton Mackenzie approved financial assistance of 3 million rand to ensure that both the men's and women's teams can participate in the World Championship with full funding, given the financial constraints in South Africa. Following this, the South African women will continue preparations in a training camp and friendly matches in Scotland before heading to the Netherlands for the World Championship.
The Kaizer Chiefs team won the Toyota Cup thanks to a goal by Mfundo Vilakazi, which secured them a 1-0 victory over Scottland FC at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
Amakhosi have won the Toyota Cup for the first time in history. The goal scored by Mfundo Vilakazi in the first half brought the team a deserved victory over Zimbabwean champions Scottland FC. This victory was the first award for the new head coach Fernando da Cruz since his appointment and marked an ideal conclusion to the pre-season training before the start of the Betway Premiership tournament next week.
Previously, the Amakhosi team had failed to win the Toyota Cup twice, so they approached this match with the determination to succeed for the third time in front of the enthusiastic crowd in Rustenburg. The game started very dynamically, and both teams sought to dominate during the first quarter of an hour.
The breakthrough came in the 17th minute thanks to one of the brightest young players. Vilakazi reacted quickly after Scottland failed to clear its lines, picked up the ball, and remained calm enough to send it past the goalkeeper, causing jubilation among the home team's fans. This goal highlighted the growing importance of the 20-year-old winger in Da Cruz's plans for the upcoming season, despite some shortcomings in the game.
Although the team is still adapting to the new coach and several new players after a busy off-season, this match was a step forward for Chiefs. Among the new players was Tanzanian international footballer Adolph Mtwasinga, who made his debut just a few days ago. He settled comfortably in midfield alongside Lebogang Maboe and Ethan Chislett, while Da Cruz continues to assess the strongest combinations before the start of competitive football.
On the flanks, Vilakazi's creativity was complemented by the speed of Asanele Velebayi on the opposite flank, with both players regularly trying to supply the striker Flavio Silva with the ball. A significant part of the attention before the match was focused on the return of former Chiefs favorites—Noledge Musona and Hamba Billiat—who were with Scottland FC. However, the experienced pair started on the bench, being later introduced as substitutes in the second half in an attempt to inspire the Zimbabwean guests to come back.
Nevertheless, Chiefs maintained defensive discipline and managed the game intelligently, preserving a small lead until the final whistle. This victory gives Da Cruz confidence that his team is beginning to adopt his methods at an important stage of the pre-season. More importantly, it gives Amakhosi the necessary momentum before the start of the new Betway Premiership season, where expectations have risen again following the encouraging completion of preparations.
The AmaZulu team successfully defended its KZN Cup title by defeating Milford FC with a score of 2-0. This victory allows AmaZulu to start the new season while maintaining its status as the leading club in the KwaZulu-Natal province.
Despite not receiving points within the tournament, AmaZulu demonstrated its superiority by successfully retaining the KZN Cup trophy. Before reaching the final, Usuthu played against the ambitious ABC Motsepe League side, Midlands Wanderers.
Milford FC, a recently promoted Betway Premiership team, participated in the final and quickly became one of the country's bright stories. Milford earned the right to participate in the decisive match after an impressive victory over Golden Arrows, showing the necessary discipline and organization to reach the top division.
Milford brought this determination to the final and did not allow themselves to be intimidated by AmaZulu, which finished fourth in the Betway Premiership last season. Although Milford resisted strongly for a long time, physically matching AmaZulu and threatening counterattacks, Usuthu's experience and quality proved decisive.
AmaZulu managed to capitalize on crucial moments, scoring two goals and securing a 2-0 victory, thereby retaining the provincial title. This win also provides valuable momentum before the start of the new campaign, as Usuthu demonstrates that it remains a team that all other KwaZulu-Natal clubs aspire to, especially against the backdrop of expectations following a strong 2025/26 season and the integration of new players.
Meanwhile, Milford leaves the tournament with a large degree of confidence. Despite the loss in the final, their performance leading up to the decisive match and competitive play against the province's best team indicates that they possess the character and quality for a worthy start in the elite division next Saturday.
The team manager, Sipetuxolo Pupuma, noted that the defeat in the final was regrettable, but he is proud that the team reached the final in its first appearance in the Premier's Cup. 'We played three matches to get to the final, which is one more than AmaZulu, so it was good experience for us,' said Pupuma. He added that it was their first real experience interacting with major teams, and they played in their usual style. 'As I said, it's a shame we lost in the final, but it was against AmaZulu. So we have a lot to take from this.'
