KZN team claim Motsepe title
R300 000 reserved for development
UTHONGATHI narrowly edged a spirited Super Eagles outfit 1-0 to claim the R1-million prize money and the national ABC Motsepe League title at the Buffalo City Stadium in East London yesterday.
Both sides were promoted to the National First Division after they topped their respective groups during the week-long ABC Motsepe playoffs.
While the Kwazulu-Natal side were the overall winners, Super Eagles, who will be the only team from the Free State in the NFD, walked away with R500 000.
A total of R300 000 (R200 000 will be taken from the R1-million prize money and R100 000 from Eagles’ second prize) will be donated to developmental soccer projects that will be chosen by the two teams, the SA Football Association (Safa) and the Motsepe Foundation.
The game was evenly matched with both sides going all out for the national crown. But a goal from Siyabonga Vilane was enough to seal the victory for the “Cane Cutters” as the Tongaatbased side is affectionately known.
On the way to the final, Uthongathi beat EC Bees and Zizwe United of the Eastern Cape and Western Cape by 1-0 respectively, while they secured promotion on the last day with a hard fought 3-2 victory over the tournament’s whipping boys, Mainstay United, who represented the Northern Cape.
Eagles, who were in the group dubbed the group of death, surprised many when they accumulated 10 points after playing to a 0-0 draw with hot favourites Acornbush United of Mpumalanga before registering a 2-1 win of Gauteng’s Maccabi FC and 3-1 over Buya Msuthu of the North West.
While both teams will be playing second-tier football next season, soccer legends like Helman Mkhalele stressed the importance of the teams beefing up their teams if they are to compete in the NFD.
Uthongathi coach Ronnie Gabriel said motivating the players had not been easy.
“The opposition tactically was a good team. We tried to impose our style of play. We tried to close them high up the field and that managed to bear results, hence the goal in the first half.
“We could have scored a few more goals in the first half but that’s the game of football overall.
“It was a good game – I must give credit to the opposition coach,” he said.
Eagles mentor Tshegofatso Mashego agreed with Mkhalele last week, saying they would have to get rid of some of the players that woudl be deemed surplus to requirement.
He acknowledged that, just like his charges, he was inexperienced and said he would constantly ask for advice from other coaches.
“We started the game with a high momentum but our guys lacked agility and mobility.
“That was the problem in the first half. There was a hole in defence and midfield but we did not utilise that to our advantage.
“But in the second half we really fought hard. We put them under pressure and we wanted them to crack but they were very well organised,” he said.
Safa president Danny Jordaan, Mamelodi Sundows boss Patrice Motsepe and Safa technical director Neil Tovey were among those who handed out the medals to the teams yesterday.