Andrew Muchineripi : Soccer
The line-up for the Rothmans Cup semi- finals this weekend befits the richest domestic cup competition in Africa with Orlando Pirates tackling Sundowns and Manning Rangers confronting Kaizer Chiefs.
After pumping millions of rand into the new, two-leg knockout competition, the sponsors opted for seeded draws in the hope of keeping the leading clubs apart until the penultimate stage. This wish has been granted after a series of dramatic quarter- finals in which Rangers conceded five goals to Vaal Professionals and still won by five, and Chiefs and Sundowns survived gallant rallies from Wits University and Amazulu.
Only Orlando Pirates had a soft passage, firing six goals past struggling Castle Premiership newcomers Santos to maintain their reputation as excellent cup competitors at local level if not in Africa.
In the opening round, Professionals pipped Moroka Swallows following a nine-goal thriller, Chiefs disposed of Bloemfontein Celtic with limited fuss, Pirates had two goals to spare over Supersport United and Sundowns squeezed past QwaQwa Stars.
Every cup sponsor dreams of a Pirates- Chiefs showdown, and with R1-million going to the cup winners plus a R100 000 appearance fee, that would be the mother (and father) of all battles. Not that Rangers and Sundowns are going to be sacrificial lambs. A finale involving the Mighty Maulers and the Brazilians might lack the crowd appeal of a Gauteng derby, but it would be no less attractive from a football viewpoint.
Indeed, the sponsors and the fans appear to be in a win-win situation with four exciting semi-final clashes at FN Stadium on Saturday, Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday, Johannesburg Stadium on November 15 and Odi Stadium one day later.
The ball starts rolling at Soccer City, scene of a disgracefully small crowd of about 1 500 last weekend when Pirates finally collected an African Champions League point by drawing 1-1 with Algerian club USMA. It was a cup tie the Buccaneers should have won comfortably given the number of chances created and recently- appointed Nigerian coach Amodu Shaibu will surely have addressed the problem during training. Once again “super sub” Andries Sebola came to the rescue, pouncing on a miskicked clearance to place the ball between the legs of the visiting goalkeeper, and another substitute, Joseph Ngake, saw a late header fly back off the upright.
What will encourage one-time Nigerian national coach Shaibu is the number of chances created against opponents who erected a red and black wall once they had snatched an early lead.
Sundowns may have flattered only to deceive many times since winning the 1993 league title, but their sole defeat in 15 competitive matches this season came in the championship at Rangers. New coach Ted Dumitru had introduced so-called carpet football, a game based on short, accurate passes and intelligent running off the ball, and former Real Rovers midfielder Alex Bapela has proved an excellent addition to an already talented squad.
While it would be expecting to much to see FNB Stadium filled to its 80 000 capacity for the first leg, the “house full” signs seem sure to go up in Durban as Chatsworth Stadium can accommodate only 30 000 spectators. Chiefs PRO Louis Tshakoane suggested this week that the Umlazi branch of the peace-loving Amakhosi family might fill the venue on its own, and given the ability of “Sprinter” to woo crowds, no one was prepared to dismiss the statement as fanciful.
Pietersburg Stadium had a capacity crowd last Sunday although the league clash with Real Rovers was live on national television and a “full house” seems certain as Chiefs seek their first major trophy since winning the 1994 BP Top 8 competition.
Speaking at the weekly Premier Soccer League (PSL) media conference, Tshakoane admitted that a Chiefs team containing many new faces was not performing to expectations, but he added that results were excellent. Rangers claimed the league title last season despite conceding six goals in two losses to Chiefs – defeats coach Gordon Igesund attributed more to mental than physical problems.
Overcoming an inferiority complex triggered by the sight of men in black and gold will clearly be high on the agenda at Rangers, who averaged almost four goals per match en route to the semi-finals.
A respected PSL coach, who preferred anonymity, believes it could be a high- scoring clash because defenders like Percival Molotsane and Bradley Muir of Rangers and Neil Tovey and Muisa Ajoa lack genuine pace. When it comes to scoring, Supersport United reject Keryn Jordan has struck 12 times in 13 matches for Rangers and seven-goal Mark Williams of Chiefs ranks among the deadliest South African marksmen.
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