Khama Billiat

Khama Billiat (born 19 August 1990 in Harare) is a Zimbabwean professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for South African Premier Soccer League club Mamelodi Sundowns and the Zimbabwe national team.

Club career

Ajax Cape Town

Khama Billiat made his professional debut for Ajax Cape Town on 20 August 2010 against Mamelodi Sundowns, winning (4–3) on penalties after a 1–1 draw, in a quarterfinal match of the 2010 MTN 8 tournament at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town. He was acquired by Ajax Cape Town in the summer of 2010 as a transfer from Zimbabwean club CAPS United, only 3 months after the club had recruited him from Aces Youth Soccer Academy in Harare. Billiat was joined at Ajax CT by CAPS club mate Tafadzwa Rusike, who had also transferred to the Cape club.

On 21 July 2012, in a friendly encounter during the off season, Ajax Cape Town held the visiting Manchester United to a 1–1 draw in which Khama Billiat received high praise from Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand. Rio labelled the young attacking midfielder as an agile and exciting player to watch, with great speed and ball control.

Billiat

Billiat is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.

Population

See also

References

Mamelodi Sundowns F.C.

Mamelodi Sundowns are a South African football club based in Pretoria that plays in the Premier Soccer League.

Since the inception of the PSL in 1996 Sundowns have won the league title a record six times. Sundowns are owned by billionaire mining magnate Patrice Motsepe. The club's nickname, The Brazilians, is a reference to their uniforms, which echo those of the Brazilian national team.

History

Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club originated from Marabastad, a cosmopolitan area North West of the Pretoria CBD.

The club was originally formed in the early 1960s by a group of youngsters, among them were Reginald Hartze, Joey Lawrence and Bernard Hartze, to mention but a few, and it became an official football club in 1970.

The club was affiliated to the Federation Professional Soccer League in 1973 and the same year reached the finals of the Coca-Cola Cup where they played against Berea United and lost 5–3.

In 1978, the Federation Professional Soccer League threw their weight behind the then National Professional Soccer League. This meant the end of the Federation Professional Soccer League and the subsequent relegation of Sundowns to the second division.

Cape Town

Cape Town (Afrikaans: Kaapstad [ˈkɑːpstɐt]; Xhosa: Ikapa) is a city in South Africa. It ranks third among the most populous urban areas in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Durban, and has roughly the same population as the Durban Metropolitan Area. It is also the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. It is the southernmost city on the African continent.

As the seat of the National Parliament it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. The city is famous for its harbour, for its natural setting in the Cape Floristic Region, as well as for such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. As of 2014, it is the 10th most populous city in Africa and home to 64% of the Western Cape's population. It is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants and expatriates to South Africa. The city was named the World Design Capital for 2014 by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. In 2014, Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit by both The New York Times and The Telegraph.

Ajax Cape Town F.C.

Ajax Cape Town (Afrikaans: Ajax Kaapstad) is a South African football (soccer) club based in the Parow suburb of the city of Cape Town that plays in the Premier Soccer League. Dutch Eredivisie club AFC Ajax is the parent club and acts as the majority shareholder.

History

Ajax Cape Town was formed in 1999 by Rob Moore and John Comitis via the amalgamation of two Cape Town-based teams, Seven Stars and Cape Town Spurs, as AFC Ajax expanded their worldwide talent-feeder network to South Africa.

Ajax, nicknamed Urban Warriors, played their first official game against Kaizer Chiefs in the Iwisa Charity Spectacular on 17 July 1999. Ajax caused an upset when they beat Chiefs 1–0 with Sam Pam, the Ajax Cape Town captain, scoring the winning goal.

Former South Africa national team coach Gordon Igesund, the country's most successful club coach, who won league titles with Manning Rangers, Orlando Pirates, Santos and Sundowns, coached the club from 2002 until 2006.

Since coming into existence, Ajax has never won the league title with their highest finish being runners-up in 2003-04 and 2011-12. Ajax managed to win the Rothmans Cup in 2000, the Nedbank Cup in 2007 and most recently the Telkom Knockout in 2008.