Every December carries its own tension and texture, but few months have packed as much drama as this one. At the heart of it all is South African Football Developments December 2025, a snapshot of a game moving at speed, where a bruised champion pleads for patience, a giant risks losing key talent for nothing, a decorated coach draws a line on how opportunity should knock, and a national team manager finds himself at the center of a storm as the continent’s biggest tournament looms.
Sundowns search for rhythm as injuries bite and AFCON beckons
Mamelodi Sundowns are usually the gold standard for control. This season, the control has wavered. Head coach Miguel Cardoso has pointed to a long injury list among his biggest pieces, a factor he believes sits at the root of recent inconsistency, with Orlando Pirates pushing hard at the summit of the Betway Premiership. After 12 matches, Pirates lead on 28 points, two clear of Sundowns, and with a game in hand, a double sting for any title holder navigating fatigue and expectation.
Cardoso did not sugarcoat the strain. He underlined how absences have shaped selection and rhythm, naming Themba Zwane, Thapelo Morena, Fawaaz Basadien and Malibongwe Khoza among those sidelined. In his words, these are national team level players and their unavailability has consequences at club and country level, especially with AFCON selection conversations swirling. The coach’s appeal has a simple core, patience while the squad regroups during the festive pause and the Africa Cup of Nations window.
The hard numbers deepen the mood. Sundowns have already fallen in both domestic cup competitions, while Pirates have pocketed the MTN8 and the Carling Knockout, a statement haul that feeds belief inside the Buccaneers camp. The schedule adds another twist, since the league only resumes after AFCON concludes in the third week of January, when Sundowns will also juggle their CAF Champions League load. The margins will be thin and the calendar will be unforgiving.
Cardoso’s message and a nod to Bafana Bafana
Amid the turbulence, Cardoso struck a tone of solidarity with the national team. He offered public support to Bafana Bafana and emphasized alignment between Sundowns and the national cause as the tournament approaches. It was a reminder that even a wounded giant can keep perspective, and that the health of the broader ecosystem matters, especially when big tournaments frame the season.
“I’d like the Masandawana family to understand that unfortunately in the last two or three months, we had many players that had several long-term injuries. Themba Zwane, Thapelo Morena, Fawaaz Basadien, Malibongwe Khoza and others. These are national team players and probably because of that they were not able to be on the thoughts of the national team head coach for AFCON.”
“We as Sundowns and I speak for the players, we respect, totally support and we side with the national team of South Africa and we wish them the best at AFCON.”
Despite the break, a strong Sundowns imprint will remain on the Nations Cup. Ronwen Williams, Khuliso Mudau, Aubrey Modiba, Bathusi Aubaas and Teboho Mokoena are all in Bafana’s squad, with Iqraam Rayners on standby and veteran Denis Onyango selected for Uganda. It means players will stay in rhythm, yet club coaches will watch anxiously for minutes, knocks, and the mental toll that international tournaments always exact.
Mkhulise and the delicate balance between trust and opportunity
If injuries have forced adjustments, selection calls have also demanded nuance. Sphelele Mkhulise has been used primarily as an impact option, a role that can test patience for a player of his technical touch and club identity. Cardoso’s recent comments cast Mkhulise as a stabilizer who brings control at key moments, even if minutes have been managed more tightly of late. Interest from other Premiership clubs will linger in January, a reminder that squad planning is an art in a transfer window that rarely grants second chances, and that timing can redefine a career.
“Pitso we believe is the identity of the club and someone who can bring control to matches. In the game against Pirates, we needed that, and in the game against Galaxy, we needed that because Nuno Santos was getting tired.”
“I’m pretty happy with the work of Pitso and he’s a top professional. It’s just a matter of managing the moments and believing in everybody.”
The optics are complex. Mkhulise was an unused substitute in the first two matches of 2025, which keeps the speculation mill turning. Yet the coach’s praise offers a counterweight to the noise, suggesting role management rather than marginalization, and hinting that trust could translate into decisive minutes when the season tightens.
Kaizer Chiefs face contract crossroads with key players
Across town, Kaizer Chiefs are staring at a different kind of pressure. Several players will enter the final six months of their contracts in January, opening the door to pre-contracts elsewhere if talks do not accelerate. The list is significant and the stakes are obvious, lose too many for free in June and the rebuild becomes steeper and more expensive, while continuity frays in the dressing room and on the grass.
The names that matter are clear, Bruce Bvuma, Brandon Petersen, Dillan Solomons, Sibongiseni Mthethwa, Gaston Sirino, Pule Mmodi, and Tashreeq Morris. Nkosingiphile Ngcobo’s deal also runs to June, yet the club holds an option and word is they intend to trigger it. Chiefs are said to have decided against renewing Morris, and beyond that there is silence from Naturena, a silence that sharpens anxiety and invites external suitors to test resolve with persuasive packages and promises.
This is where planning meets identity. A club that prides itself on stature must decide who represents the spine of 2026 and beyond, who can be replaced internally, and where fresh recruitment is non negotiable. There is also the human side, players who crave clarity, whose performances can either surge with security or dip under uncertainty, and whose agents will start arranging contingencies if dialogue stalls. The risk is not only financial, it is competitive, and it arrives at a time when every edge matters and every window can either heal or reopen wounds that have barely closed, especially in a league where Pirates and Sundowns are raising the bar.
Pitso Mosimane sets his own terms on the Amakhosi conversation
Few names carry as much weight in modern South African coaching as Pitso Mosimane. Unattached and successful, he has been linked by supporters to the Kaizer Chiefs job since Nasreddine Nabi’s exit, with Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze currently steering the side for the rest of the season. Mosimane has made his position plain. He will not apply. He expects clubs to present a project, a plan that aligns with his standards and long range thinking.
“You must remember that at the point I am, I don’t apply for jobs and that’s not being egoistic. It’s about the plan and you must show me the plan.”
“I can’t say I will never coach again at home. I will coach any team in the country that shows me why I need to come here and what you would bring to the table.”
He referenced options in Africa and the Gulf, spoke of challenge and fit, and nodded to the value of a multi year vision, drawing on long stints at Sundowns and SuperSport United. His stance resonates with those who believe elite coaching should be about alignment rather than availability, and it throws the spotlight back on clubs to articulate the pathway, the principles, and the patience that sustain winning cycles. For Chiefs, it becomes both a mirror and a message, define the future, then the future can choose you, a mantra that is hard to argue with and even harder to execute without unity, resources, and resolve, elements that require time and clarity.
Hugo Broos, a missed flight, and a controversy before AFCON
In the national camp, a single misstep has mushroomed into a broader debate. Bafana head coach Hugo Broos blasted 20 year old defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi for missing his flight from Durban to Johannesburg after captaining Orlando Pirates to the Carling Black Label Knockout title. Mbokazi joined camp a day late, and the coach’s words were sharp, with added criticism of the player’s move to Chicago Fire and pointed remarks about his agent, Basia Michaels.
“I am not pleased with what he did. He let us know he missed his flight from Durban yesterday.”
“It was the coach of Pirates Ouaddou who informed me. He was very angry that he missed his flight. These were his words, ‘unprofessional attitude’.”
“So I will have a chat with him after training. He is a black guy but when he comes out of my room he will be white with fear.”
“A nice little woman who is his agent and thinks she knows football is doing what many agents are doing now.”
The fallout was immediate. Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie publicly noted he is awaiting responses from SAFA and Broos, saying the coach’s comments require clarification since they are open to interpretation. The United Democratic Movement has asked the Human Rights Commission to investigate the remarks, describing them as potentially racially suggestive and sexist. Michaels declined to comment when approached, a silence that underscores how combustible and sensitive the situation has become, especially on the eve of a major tournament.
Context matters. Broos’ defenders argue the line about turning white was figurative, a reference to fear after a dressing down. The sexism allegation, however, appears harder to dismiss, both in the choice of words and in the tone directed at Michaels. All of this means Bafana enter AFCON with noise in the margins, and yet the football will not wait for the commentary to quieten, the opening test against Angola is set for December 22, in a Group B that also features Egypt and Zimbabwe.
Mbokazi’s move and the meaning of a leap
Mbokazi’s rise has been rapid. He is leaving for a big money move to Chicago Fire after AFCON, a relocation that divides opinion and asks familiar questions. Is a mid season jump across continents wise when a continental tournament and a World Cup loom, or is it the kind of challenge that hardens a player in different ways, socially, competitively, emotionally. Broos questioned the choice, pointing to club stature and the timing, while suggesting alternative paths might have offered better platforms. Mbokazi himself will know that careers can turn on decisions like these, and that the margin between a step forward and a stumble can be thin, especially when expectation rises as fast as opportunity.
What the festive pause means for club and country
The league hiatus offers both respite and risk. For Sundowns, it is a chance to reset injuries and shape a plan for a crowded early 2026. For Pirates, it is momentum maintenance, a time to translate cup swagger into league authority while competition sleeps. For Chiefs, it is contract triage, with agents dialing, options being exercised, and players seeking clarity about futures that can either bind a core or disperse it.
For Bafana Bafana, the window is more intense. Preparation shifts from club tempo to nation tempo, roles crystallize, and the focus tightens around Angola first, then the broader calculus of Group B. The national side will lean on Sundowns’ core and the familiarity that can breed fluency when the heat rises. It will also carry the weight of the current controversy and the discipline demanded by tournament football, where one lapse can undo weeks of work, and one moment of quality can tilt a campaign, especially in a group with an Egypt side that rarely loosens its grip.
The human thread running through December
Strip away the noise and what remains are people navigating pivotal moments. Cardoso asking a proud fan base for forbearance while he pieces together a patched squad. Mkhulise staying professional as roles evolve and options hover. Chiefs players facing the most practical question a professional can face, where will I be in six months. Mosimane holding his line on principle and process. Broos confronting discipline issues in camp while defending his rhetoric in public. Mbokazi, young and ascending, learning that praise and scrutiny often arrive in the same week. Each story is different, yet they intersect in the same spotlight, lit by AFCON, defined by expectation, and amplified by the pace of a football culture that rarely pauses, even when the fixtures do.
What to watch next
- The Bafana opener against Angola on December 22,
- Sundowns reintegration of injured stalwarts once the league resumes,
- Chiefs contract decisions as January opens.
Final word on a pivotal month
December has been a study in contrasts. Pirates surge with trophies and table position, Sundowns tighten ranks and trust their reset, Chiefs weigh the value of continuity against the cost of drift. At national level, Broos’ management of discipline and discourse will share space with tactical choices and the resilience of a squad carrying the hopes of a football nation. There is pressure everywhere, yet pressure is also possibility, the raw material from which seasons and reputations are forged. The festive break offers a breath, then the game inhales again, and when it does, we will see whose plans, whose patience, and whose principles hold firm, especially when the whistle blows in Morocco and when the league lights flicker back on in January.
If there is a single lesson in this month, it is that South African football remains gloriously alive, with its debates, its dilemmas, and its dreams intertwined. The best stories are still unwritten, the next chapter begins with Bafana’s first step in Group B, and when the teams return home, every club will discover whether December’s turbulence has strengthened their spine or exposed their fault lines. That is the beauty and the burden of this sport, it always asks the next question, and it always demands an answer on the pitch.
