{"id":2647,"date":"2026-07-04T08:16:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T05:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T08:16:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T05:16:56","slug":"solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/","title":{"rendered":"Solbakken Plays Down Locker-Room Video Targeting Ancelotti Ahead of Brazil Clash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Norway head coach Stale Solbakken has played down a locker-room video that appeared to target Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti ahead of Sunday\u2019s World Cup last-16 meeting between the two nations. Solbakken insisted the clip\u2014released by the Norwegian football federation\u2014was meant as light-hearted humour and had been taken out of context.<\/p>\n<p>The footage shows Solbakken delivering an impassioned message to his squad after their 2-1 victory over C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire. It ends with the line: \u201c&#8230; and wait, Carlo Ancelotti, we are coming for you!\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Solbakken addressed Ancelotti ahead of Norway\u2019s World Cup last-16 clash with Brazil.<\/li>\n<li>The video was published by the Norwegian football federation.<\/li>\n<li>It followed Norway\u2019s 2-1 win over C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire.<\/li>\n<li>The clip\u2019s final line was: \u201c&#8230; and wait, Carlo Ancelotti, we are coming for you!\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Solbakken said the gesture was not meant as provocation and was a joke taken out of context.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Speaking to reporters, Solbakken said the message was as far from a personal challenge as possible, praising Ancelotti as one of Europe\u2019s most accomplished managers. He added that he has the \u201cgreatest respect\u201d for the Italian, noting he has met him previously during Champions League ties involving FC Copenhagen against Chelsea and Real Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>Solbakken also pointed to the history between himself and Brazil, recalling that he was part of the Norway squad which defeated the South American side in the group stage in 1998. However, he argued that the result from decades ago is irrelevant to the task facing his team on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that Brazil are finding their feet, gradually getting better and better and they have strong players in all positions,\u201d Solbakken said. He stressed that Norway are looking forward to the challenge, even with Brazil entering the tie as the clear favourites.<\/p>\n<p>He acknowledged Brazil\u2019s wider tournament credentials, describing them as a serious contender to lift the trophy. But Solbakken framed the last-16 tie as a moment Norway must seize, saying that meeting Brazil now makes it \u201cour destiny\u201d and that his team will need to perform at their highest level.<\/p>\n<p>Norway\u2019s momentum has been driven by Erling Haaland\u2019s goals, and Solbakken\u2019s side have earned plaudits for advancing from their group and securing Norway\u2019s first World Cup knockout win. Their breakthrough came against C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, setting up what Solbakken expects to be a difficult test for Ancelotti\u2019s team.<\/p>\n<p>Solbakken reiterated that Brazil are favourites while insisting Norway\u2019s goal is not simply to compete, but to win. \u201cWe\u2019re hopeful that we will give them a match,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cwe are not playing the game for fun\u2014we are playing to win the game and to go into the quarter-finals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He concluded by emphasising that, despite his respect for the Brazilian coach and squad\u2019s progress so far, anything can happen once the match begins on Sunday\u2014especially in a knockout setting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Norway head coach Stale Solbakken has played down a locker-room video that appeared to target Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti ahead of Sunday\u2019s World Cup last-16 meeting between the two nations. Solbakken insisted the clip\u2014released by the Norwegian football federation\u2014was meant as light-hearted humour and had been taken out of context. The footage shows Solbakken delivering [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Solbakken Responds to Locker-Room Video Before Brazil Clash","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Solbakken shrugs off a locker-room video aimed at Carlo Ancelotti as Norway prepare for their World Cup last-16 clash with Brazil.","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Solbakken Responds to Locker-Room Video Before Brazil Clash<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Solbakken shrugs off a locker-room video aimed at Carlo Ancelotti as Norway prepare for their World Cup last-16 clash with Brazil.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Solbakken Responds to Locker-Room Video Before Brazil Clash\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Solbakken shrugs off a locker-room video aimed at Carlo Ancelotti as Norway prepare for their World Cup last-16 clash with Brazil.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZAlebs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-04T05:16:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/norway-8217-solbakken-praises-ancelotti-c31c.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"607\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\"},\"headline\":\"Solbakken Plays Down Locker-Room Video Targeting Ancelotti Ahead of Brazil Clash\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-04T05:16:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":501,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/norway-8217-solbakken-praises-ancelotti-c31c.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/\",\"name\":\"Solbakken Responds to Locker-Room Video Before Brazil Clash\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/norway-8217-solbakken-praises-ancelotti-c31c.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-04T05:16:56+00:00\",\"description\":\"Solbakken shrugs off a locker-room video aimed at Carlo Ancelotti as Norway prepare for their World Cup last-16 clash with Brazil.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/norway-8217-solbakken-praises-ancelotti-c31c.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/norway-8217-solbakken-praises-ancelotti-c31c.webp\",\"width\":607,\"height\":480},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Zalebs\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Solbakken Plays Down Locker-Room Video Targeting Ancelotti Ahead of Brazil Clash\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Zalebs\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Africa New Media Group\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/logo-new.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/logo-new.webp\",\"width\":350,\"height\":132,\"caption\":\"Africa New Media Group\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/ZAlebs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/Zalebs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/zalebs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@ZalebsEntertainment\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\",\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\"},\"description\":\"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/za.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/zibuyile-dladla\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Solbakken Responds to Locker-Room Video Before Brazil Clash","description":"Solbakken shrugs off a locker-room video aimed at Carlo Ancelotti as Norway prepare for their World Cup last-16 clash with Brazil.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Solbakken Responds to Locker-Room Video Before Brazil Clash","og_description":"Solbakken shrugs off a locker-room video aimed at Carlo Ancelotti as Norway prepare for their World Cup last-16 clash with Brazil.","og_url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/","og_site_name":"Zalebs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZAlebs","article_published_time":"2026-07-04T05:16:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":607,"height":480,"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/norway-8217-solbakken-praises-ancelotti-c31c.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Zibuyile Dladla","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Zalebs","twitter_site":"@Zalebs","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zibuyile Dladla","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/"},"author":{"name":"Zibuyile Dladla","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e"},"headline":"Solbakken Plays Down Locker-Room Video Targeting Ancelotti Ahead of Brazil Clash","datePublished":"2026-07-04T05:16:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/"},"wordCount":501,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/norway-8217-solbakken-praises-ancelotti-c31c.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/","name":"Solbakken Responds to Locker-Room Video Before Brazil Clash","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/norway-8217-solbakken-praises-ancelotti-c31c.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-04T05:16:56+00:00","description":"Solbakken shrugs off a locker-room video aimed at Carlo Ancelotti as Norway prepare for their World Cup last-16 clash with Brazil.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/norway-8217-solbakken-praises-ancelotti-c31c.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/norway-8217-solbakken-praises-ancelotti-c31c.webp","width":607,"height":480},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/solbakken-plays-down-locker-room-video-targeting-ancelotti-ahead-of-brazil-clash\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Zalebs","item":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Solbakken Plays Down Locker-Room Video Targeting Ancelotti Ahead of Brazil Clash"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/","name":"Zalebs","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Africa New Media Group","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/logo-new.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/logo-new.webp","width":350,"height":132,"caption":"Africa New Media Group"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZAlebs","https:\/\/x.com\/Zalebs","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/zalebs","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@ZalebsEntertainment"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e","name":"Zibuyile Dladla","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Zibuyile Dladla"},"description":"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.","sameAs":["https:\/\/za.linkedin.com\/in\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a"],"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/author\/zibuyile-dladla\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}