Nelson Rashavah
WE still have a lot to learn about the good and bad=20 aspects of soccer, we are told. Good quality=20 performances are judged not in pre-season friendlies,=20 but in competitive full-blooded battles of the English=20 Premier League or the UEFA Cup.
The bit that comes with competitive football might be=20 absent but with four formidable teams on show with an=20 array of individual stars, this year’s United Bank=20 Challenge is bound to be a success — barring unknown=20 hazards which often accompany footbal ventures.
Portuguese giants Benfica meet Kaizer Chiefs in the=20 first game of the first leg which takes place at Loftus=20 Versveld next Thursday afternoon. The proud Lisbon=20 Eagles had a disappointing season by their own high=20 standards, but they are a club with a long and=20 successful history. Now that they have been boosted by=20 the return of their inventive Brazilia midfielder Valdo=20 from France, they will be eager to rediscover their=20 form in Africa.
There are few local teams to rival Chiefs in terms of=20 crowd support and success. The Amakhosi might not be=20 the high-class combination of three years ago, but they=20 are a talent-rich team to be respected.=20
Their squad is a nice blend of youth and experience.=20 Mercurial midfielder Thabang Lebese has proved a=20 revelation and stalwart Neil Tovey, one of the most=20 dependable central defenders in the local league, adds=20 stability to the line-up.
The night clash between Sundowns and Leeds United=20 promises to be a rousing affair. Sundowns have produced=20 some of the seasons’s best football. Cameroonian=20 “libero” Thomas Libih looks the most accomplished=20 defender in the NSL, and his countryman Roger Feutmba=20 is directing the midfield with relish.
England’s Leeds United come to South Africa after=20 registering success in what has been dubbed the=20 toughest league in the world. After being inconsistent=20 early in the season, they finally got their act=20 together to clinch a EUFA Cup place. In Ghanaian=20 Anthony Yeboah and our own Philemon Masinga, who was=20 signed from Sundowns last year, the British team has=20 the players with individual skills to match the best=20 the world has to offer.
The show moves to Ellis Park for the climax next Sunday=20 with the losers of the first round meeting each other=20 in a third-place play-off before the winners clash in=20 the final.