I knew we’d beat Kaizer Chiefs – TS Galaxy boss
TS GALAXY’S unexpected win against Kaizer Chiefs may have sent shockwaves through the South African football fraternity, but there was one man who wasn’t surprised by the historic triumph over the weekend.
Tim Sukazi, the owner of football minnows TS Galaxy, says he knew well before kick-off that his team would overcome the Soweto giants.
“We spent a good amount of time preparing for this game and analysing every detail of Kaizer Chiefs’ game,” he said. “We looked at it from various angles, but just couldn’t see how Kaizer Chiefs were going to beat us.
“We analysed the teams, man to man, team versus team, but there was no way that Chiefs were going to beat us. With all due respect, they are a formidable team but our team was just better.”
Sukazi’s team pulled off one of the biggest shocks in South African football history when they beat Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the Nedbank Cup final on Saturday.
Zakhele Lepasa was the hero for the Witbank-based National First Division (NFD) side on the night, winning and converting an injury time penalty as Galaxy became the first side outside the top flight to win the R7 million prize.
Sukazi said the only way his team would have been inferior to Chiefs on the night was if his team weren’t mentally strong.
“We knew if we set our foot wrong on the day, it would be purely because of the mental aspect,” said Sukazi.
“The guys spent an entire week working on mental strength and we got it spot on because they were oozing with confidence as they took to the field.”
Sukazi also revealed that he had no nerves as he watched Lepasa step up for the penalty in the dying minutes of the game.
“We knew he was going to score. He is a confident boy. As he stepped up to take the penalty, I knew that it was to spell a change that was about to happen in South African football.
“I said it before and I will say it again, May 18, 2019 will go down in history as the day in which the South African football landscape was redefined.”
Aside from the confidence that runs through the club, Sukazi said their motivation to not disappoint millions of South Africans pushed them past the finishing line.
“We were not worried or afraid of facing Kaizer Chiefs,” said Sukazi. “The only worry for us was the possibility of disappointing the millions of South Africans who believed in us. For some strange reason the country believed that TS Galaxy would beat Chiefs.
“I kept on asking people why they thought that an NFD side would win against Chiefs. Most people haven’t even seen us play. You don’t want to establish a brand in this way and then fail millions of South Africans when you start on it.”
What makes TS Galaxy’s cup final win so remarkable is that the team was established a mere 10 months ago.
“To win the Nedbank Cup is quite overwhelming for a number of reasons. It’s a new club. We are within our formative years. But we won this and in the process broke many records.
“There’s never been a team with all South African-born players to win a championship like this and we did it. We are also the first national or lower division side to win it.”
Sukazi also revealed that he’d had a mere six weeks to put together an entire team, including technical staff and a manager.
“We got the licence on July 1, 2018 and the league start date was August 19. I had six weeks to prepare, and all I had was a piece of paper which was our licence, not a single player or any coaching staff for that matter.
“It was a daunting task, a very risky step because if you get it wrong you will relegate the club.”
But Sukazi said he felt vindicated for the bold and brave risks he took.
“This is just the beginning.”