SOCCER TERMS

Cosmas Zulu Talking Football
THE Premier Soccer League season starts in three weeks’ time and I can’t wait to watch competitive games, especially at Barbourfields Stadium where I have a reserved seat at the VIP enclosure.
When the PSL announced the 2014 season kickoff at the weekend, I was elated because it was beginning to bore me to watch friendly matches at which players don’t give their best because there is nothing at stake.

At least very soon I will enjoy real, competitive matches in the company of my close buddies former Highlanders player Colsen Mabeza, Father Claudius Luphahla a priest in Emganwini, ex-Highlanders vice-chairman Sikhanyiso Moyo, Highlanders’ board chairman Mgcini Nkolomi, Darlington Dube, Ken Mhlophe and Dr Paston Maphosa.

What fascinates me about these gentlemen is that they ask me a lot of questions about soccer terms.  I trade my knowledge for an ice cream, of course!  Nkolomi, Dube and Moyo are the ones who buy most of the times while I provide sweets imported from Indonesia.

The priest, Mabeza and the soccer agent whom I cannot name because he might sue me, are stingy, yizigwagwa kazi thengi.
Today I have an announcement to all these gentlemen and others who sit near me at matches that this season if you don’t buy a copy of Chronicle every Tuesday, I will not share with you my jokes and soccer terms any more.

For the benefit of all soccer lovers and those who have been following this column, here are some of the terms that I think you might be interested in:

•     Anchorman – midfield player whose chief function is to win the ball

•     Ball watching – paying too much attention to the ball and not enough to your opponents

•     Bend the ball – impart swerve to the ball

•     Blind side – to the side of a player away from the ball

•     Block tackle – tackle made in an upright position with side of the foot face-to-face with opponent.

•     Box – the penalty area

•     Bye line –  the goal line

•     Chip –  pass, cross or shot looped over an opponent from the ground

•     Close down – advance on an opponent who has the ball while covering his path to goal.

•     Decoy run – a run to take a defender out of position and perhaps create an opportunity for a teammate to get into space.

•     Dee – the arch marked outside the penalty area

•     Dummy or sell the dummy  – deceive an opponent by making him or her go one way and then going another

•     Dynamo – midfield player with the ability and physical power to work continually from box to box

•     Far post – the goal post further from the ball

•     Feint – makes to play the ball one way in order to deceive an opponent and then play it in another or direction or not playing it at all.

•      Fill in for – to cover a teammate’s position when he has moved out of it.

•     Flank area – along the touchline

•     Free man – an  unmarked player available for a pass

•     Instep – the top of the foot under the laces

•     Hospital pass – pass  that is short made to a teammate and leaves him open to a tackle

•     Jockey – working an opponent with the ball into less dangerous position

•     Libero – Italian term for sweeper (literally free)

•     Linkman – midfielder linking the back four with strikers

•     Marker – midfield player whose job it is to mark an opponent out of the game.

•     Midfield general –  midfielder essentially a creative player whose function is plan the move and get all his teammates playing

I can hear you Sikhanyiso Moyo – saying madoda selisazi ibhora. Don’t you dare, it’s only a third of the terms, keep on buying ice cream for some more terms.
Until next week . . . [email protected]/ 0773842671