Best of luck to both teams
G’day On Nedbank Cup final
This is history in the making, as I alluded to in last week’s column. If my memory serves me well, without disrespecting both teams, Nedbank, the sponsor and the whole football fraternity, this is going to be the first time that a cup final will be contested by two rock-bottom teams on the log standings.
The supporters will get an opportunity to watch the game with their favourite legends, thanks to Nedbank. Myself, Amanda Dlamini, Teko Modise, Mark Williams, Matthew Booth and some legends will be enjoying the game with the supporters and I look forward to it.
Nedbank Cup is the only cup competition that affords teams, even from the lower leagues, an opportunity to test themselves in the African continent as it was the case with TS Galaxy, who won this trophy playing in the second tier and went on to play in the CAF Confederation Cup. A number of our teams were introduced to continental football by this cup competition, so it is befitting that it is called a cup of dreams. Lower division teams get a lot of exposure through Nedbank and when you look at the financial side of things, you realise that teams make a lot of money. When the ABC Motsepe League teams, for instance, qualify for the Last 32, they’re already R100 000 richer, without even kicking the ball. We saw some of them getting to the Last 16 and that means more money into their pockets, and that’s commendable.
Going back to the final, we are talking about two teams that will be looking to not only improve their finances but to make history as well. I’d like to give both teams a lot of credit because they’ve worked extremely hard to be where they are now. Their log positions haven’t jeopardized their Nedbank Cup run at all. They went all the way regardless of their log position. Some teams would rather sacrifice cup success in exchange for their PSL status, but these two managed to keep both going. When we look at the last two league games for Chippa United, they moved up to position 14th and it is clear to see that the Nedbank Cup run has given them good motivation and that winning mentality. It shows that if they put together their thoughts, focus, professional attitud e, w inning mentality and everything that has worked for them so far, there’s a lot more for them to achieve. They can definitely use their good run and winning the trophy to boost their chances of surviving relegation and this applies to both teams as they are in a similar position on the log. It would be great to see one of the two teams representing us in the continent because, like I said last week, the more teams we introduce to continental football, the better it is for our football.
Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila
had more problems and challenges than any other team at the beginning of the season but, through good leadership, they’ve managed to get their house in order. They are not an easy team to beat and that makes this final all the more interesting and I just can’t wait! This is going to be a well-contested cup final match and it would have been so great if supporters were allowed into the stadium to witness what will surely be a great game. Teams have really upped their game and showed a lot of professionalism. No so long ago, I thought we’d be certain of who is going to win the league, get into the Top Eight or be fighting relegation by now, but that’s not the case. That speaks to the competitive nature of our league and that’s commendable. Best of luck to both teams in the final.
On log standings
I was still thinking about the relegation battle the other day when the chasing pack caught my eye. Who will win the 2020/21 season? Is it going to be the Three Wise Men, McCarthy and Co. or Ncikazi and Co.? Who would have thought that the local coaches would be taking the league by storm the way they’ve been doing so far? There’s still a lot to play for and I believe there’s still more entertainment coming our way. Coach Manqoba Mngqithi expertly explained Sundowns’ hectic programme where they will be playing 20 games in two months. Ideally, that’s a fivemonth programme, but they will have to make it work in just two months. That’s the price you pay for being an ambitious side and they knew about such and they’ve prepared for it. They’ve walked this path before and know everything there is to expect.
Benni’s AmaZulu FC have gone 16 games unbeaten and this is a team that we only used to see at the summit of the log when no games had taken place. They would occupy the top spot only because of the alphabetical order in which teams are lined up, and once the games get underway, they’d then evacuate that top position. Now they’re contesting for the championship and this needs to be applauded. I’m not going to let this slip. I have to have a cup of coffee with coach Benni and coach Mandla to find out how they managed to turn these two teams into powerhouses in such a short space of time. I mean, we learn from the best and these are my friends and colleagues, so I will have to have those meetings with them. We give credit where it is due because these guys have silently defeated enemies, naysayers and even tough opposition, and that makes me proud of them. AmaZulu have now deservedly won the Q-Innovation after Sundowns and Golden Arrows, which are the top three on the log, and whether these two KwaZulu-Natal teams win anything or not, they’ve made a huge mark this season and deserve all the credit they can get. They changed the complexion of KZN football and made everyone realise that anything is possible when you believe in our own and support them. We salute all the coaches for the job well done so far this season.
Coach Manqoba, Rhulani Mokwena and Steve Komphela have not disappointed since taking charge of the star-studded Chloorkop-based team. They kept the fire burning, even though they got eliminated from the Nedbank Cup. They are on top of the log, with two games in hand, and in the quarterfinals of the CAF Champions League. They are facing the son of the soil (Pitso Mosimane) in the quarterfinals and that will also be a historical moment for everyone because no one would have predicted this clash to happen so soon after coach Pitso left. This just goes to show that things happen when you put everything you have into what you are doing. If you believe and understand what you want, football will repay you. Yes, there will always be ups and downs, but only those with a hard-working ethic and attitude will prevail.