Baroka FC: the power of believing

THEY believed long before they took to the field. Baroka FC hardly took cognisance of the stature of their opponents.

And that they overcame the mighty Orlando Pirates to be crowned Telkom Knockout champions at the weekend was testimony that in football, stature and pedigree count for little when it comes to getting results.

The discerning soccer follower would not have been surprised by the Limpopo outfit’s success, Bakgaga ba GaMphahlele having long shown they have the ability to win silverware.

Back in 2014 when they were still in the lower division, they went all the way to the Nedbank Cup semi-final.

But when they only just survived relegation last season, many thought them favourites for the drop this term.

Aware of the threat, club chairman Khurishi Mphahlele went over the Zambezi to get the services of miracle worker Wedson Nyirenda as coach.

A slow start to the league championship had many suggesting the former Kaizer Chiefs striker’s success was because standards in his native Zambia were inferior to those here in the PSL.

Nyirenda though ignored the doomsday prophets and got on with the job of grilling his squad of literally no name players.

Their passage to the final was pretty hard, with league champs Mamelodi Sundowns and holders BidVest Wits providing early opposition.

Both were dispatched with ease, the giants not even scoring.

Nyirenda declared after the semi-final that “we are not giant killers, we are giants”. And only out in Seleteng, Lebowakgomo, Polokwane and surrounds did they believe him, the majority of the football fraternity laughing his pronouncement off.

But in Port Elizabeth on Saturday night, Nyirenda had the last laugh as his boys overcame the mighty Buccaneers to win their maiden silverware just three seasons into the elite league and merely months after he became a PSL coach.

Through their success as the first team from Limpopo to win an elite league trophy, Baroka has given youngsters from the province a dream. A dream of playing for a successful home team instead of the traditional big three.

And self belief, Baroka have shown, is a very key ingredient to success in football.