Furman keen to rise to the occasion

DEAN FURMAN’S “welcoming committee” to South African football made him a victim on the website that helped him get in touch with the country of his birth.

The 29-year-old who was born in Cape Town but grew up in England looked up the national anthem on Youtube to learn the words for his first call-up against Australia in 2012. Three years later he signed for SuperSport United. Mark Mayambela welcomed Furman with a shibobo that went viral after making him dance with his skills.

“I’ve had to adapt as a player and as a person,” Furman said. “I knew the country when I came to South Africa but I wasn’t immersed in it. I’ve had to adapt to the culture and the way the boys play here. It certainly has made me a better player.”

Since then Furman has produced performances and accumulated accolades he wouldn’t mind seeing over and over again on Youtube. The bustling midfielder has lifted two trophies, the back-to-back Nedbank Cup triumphs in 2016 and 2017, as SuperSport captain. He is looking to make it three tonight in the MTN8 final that kicks off at 7pm against Cape Town City.

“That’s what I came here for after I sat down with Stan Mathews, the CEO,” Furman said. “He said to me ‘come and let us win stuff ’. He told me SuperSport is a very strong side and can go on to be very successful. So far we have done that. We want to be more successful. We are not resting on what we have done. We want more. It’s all there for us. We just have to continue performing the way we have.”

United have become cup specialists. This is their third successive final appearance after reaching the Telkom Knockout final in December last year and winning the Nedbank Cup in May. Furman admits that there will be an element of revenge against the Citizens. If it wasn’t for them, Matsatsantsa would have finished last season with two trophies had the Capetonians not spoiled their party in the Telkom Knockout.

But SuperSport were their own worst enemy in the last campaign. The Tshwane team looked like they would finally land the Premiership that has eluded them since 2010. SuperSport spent the better part of last season among the championship challengers and even went on a 19-match unbeaten run, equalling Kaizer Chiefs’ record. But that run had too many draws and Matsatsantsa lost games they shouldn’t towards the finish, which saw them finish in fifth place. Being that close to the main prize but not close enough has prepared them well for the MTN8 that sees the losing finalists pocket as much as the team that bowed out in the first round (R800 000) while the winners get a cool R8-million cheque along with the trophy.

“We were top of the league for a long time, but what do we have to show for it? Nothing. It’s about being clinical at the right time,” Furman said.

“It’s about being, when you aren’t at your best for one reason or the other, finding a way to win games. We went to Zesco (United in Zambia in the CAF Confederation Cup) and we didn’t play our best football but we managed to get the result and move to the semi-finals.

“We have big players who know how to rise to the occasion.”