SOCCER:Andrew Muchineripi
HAVING already won the African Champions Cup and Super Cup within a few months, defending African champions Orlando Pirates will now focus their sights on the African Cup Winners Cup, which is known as the Nelson Mandela Cup. But first, they will have to sweep aside the challenge of Jomo Cosmos when the two sides meet in the final of the Bob Save Superbowl at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Ironically, it was Cosmos who nearly took South Africa to glory in the Cup Winners Cup, when in 1993 they surprised all of Africa in reaching the semi-finals of the competition, losing eventually to Ivorian side, Africa Sport.
Both clubs have already won the Bob Save trophy, Pirates in 1988 and Cosmos two years later when they edged out AmaZulu.
Anybody who witnessed the 4-1 hiding that the Sea Robbers meted out to Kaizer Chiefs in the recent semi-final will undoubtedly agree that Brazil would have difficulty matching the skills of a rampant Pirates outfit on that fateful day. Before that game the side received a visit from managing director Irvin Khoza who impressed on them the importance of winning against Chiefs.
But, as we all know, Khoza is a lot fonder of Cosmos’s Jomo Sono than he is of Chiefs boss Kaizer Motaung!
The man who swept Pirates to victory against Chiefs with an explosive hattrick, Jerry Sikhosana, will play a major role on Saturday and could be the difference between Pirates winning and losing the encounter. Sikhosana has made FNB his own, and a week after the Chiefs game, it was his brand of magic that saw Bafana Bafana beat Zaire, after the Pirates man made the goal only eight minutes after coming on as a substitute.
But all week one name has been mentioned alongside that of Sikhosana’s – Andrew Rabutla. Known as “Jaws of Life”, Rabutla is said to be the man who will keep a tight rein on Sikhosana, but whether he will succeed remains to be seen.
So confident are Cosmos that Rabutla will do the job, that their officials have promised Sikhosana R10 000 for each goal he scores!
Rabutla’s only claim to fame last season was the fact that he was the player at the centre of a dispute between Sundowns and Rabali Balckpool after the Brazilians claimed that Rabutla had been improperly registered when the two clubs met in a league game which ended in a draw.
In the curtain-raiser to the final, the play-off for third and fourth place, Cape Town Spurs will find themselves with a lot more support in their game against Kaizer Chiefs.
Both the Cosmos and Pirates supporters will no doubt make life as difficult as possible for the Amakhosi.