Booth’s heart is with underdogs Ajax
The meeting of Ajax Cape Town and Mamelodi Sundowns in Saturday’s Nedbank Cup final represents a fascinating face-off between two very different club philosophies.
Ajax are probably the strongest exponents in the country of giving youth a chance, a modest budget compensated for by a fantastic academy, all in the style of their parent club Ajax Amsterdam.
Sundowns, by contrast, rely more on the vast swathes of money spent by their wealthy benefactor, mining magnate Patrice Motsepe.
The Brazilians’ development side produces talent, but it can be difficult for these youngsters to get a chance in the face of a raft of big-money signings.
Defender Matthew Booth ( left) is a born-and-bred Capetonian, who came through at Seven Stars, one of the sides that merged to form Ajax, and he has subsequently played for both Sundowns and Ajax before retiring at the end of last season.
“They put their money where their mouth is,” is Booth’s take on the success of Ajax’s academy, with the likes of Rivaldo Coetzee, Mosa Lebusa and Tashreeq Morris starring in this year’s cup run.
“They spend a large part of their budget on the youth, more so than any other team. And they probably spend more on marketing too – except for Kaizer Chiefs – to get youngsters to come to the club. They have a very good system and I take my hat off to them for incorporating ex-professionals at the club. They employ those ex-pros, who have given good service to the club, as coaches.
“The Ajax Amsterdam infl is also there to oversee everything. A sound structure and good man-management and consistency keeps producing these youngsters.
There is no difference between Cape Town, Mpumalanga or the Eastern Cape, it is just the structures in place. If you put Ajax in any other part of the country, you would have the same results.”
As for Sundowns development, Booth notes: “If you are going to spend money on development, you have to provide an outlet for talent, so if a youngster sees that the senior team is continuously buying instead of promoting youngsters, it creates a Catch-22.”
With the money Sundowns have spent, Booth believes their season will be considered a failure if they do not finish it off with the Nedbank Cup.
“They will be extremely disappointed not to win anything and the pressure is on them,” he said.
As for picking a winner – understandably for a man who has played for both teams, Booth is not 100% either way, though he does say his heart is with Ajax.
“I really enjoyed my time at Sundowns and I won’t be displeased if they win it, but I always go for the underdogs and I feel it will be fantastic for Cape football if Ajax win,” he says.