Andrew Muchineripi Soccer
The Rothmans Cup spin doctors never cease reminding us that the competition is “unbelievable” and the multimillion-rand event certainly has generated more than its fair share of excitement.
It has, however, also proved unbelievably predictable with Kaizer Chiefs, Sundowns, Manning Rangers and Orlando Pirates reaching the 1997 semi-finals and only one of the eight seeds failing to reach the quarterfinals this year.
Surely I am not alone when expressing the view that giantkillers as much as giants make for a great knockout competition and for all the well-orchestrated hype, this is one area where the Rothmans Cup has been found wanting.
There are several reasons why Goliath may continue to put David in his place, not least the two-leg format which offers the “big guns” a second chance should anything go wrong.
Another is the unbelievable (just cannot get away from this word) sponsorship by African standards with the R1-million first prize of last year rising by R100E000 for the second edition.
Some believe money is the root of all evil, but there is no doubt that the Rothmans Cup has introduced an extremely healthy level of competitiveness with few one-sided affairs.
This weekend sees the first legs of the quarter-finals with Wits hosting Sundowns, Jomo Cosmos entertaining Orlando Pirates, Chiefs at home to Bush Bucks and Rangers welcoming Seven Stars.
Seven Stars, who had to prequalify having won promotion from the First Division this year, are the odd club out having eliminated seeded Cape Town Spurs 3-2 on goal aggregate in the first-round proper.
Perhaps Stars are the team to satisfy my desire for something unusual to go with (you have guessed correctly) the unbelievable and they may stand a better chance against Rangers than is immediately obvious.
That may seem a strange statement, even from the unpredictable pen of yours truly, but mix the many interests of the Mighty Maulers with Stars’ proven cup-fighting ability and a surprise is not impossible.
Whatever Rangers coach Gordon Igesund may say in public, privately he must agonise that in trying to collect all the prizes, he may end up going home without any.
His first priority, I suspect, was to follow the glorious path paved by Orlando Pirates and become African champions, but a weekend loss to Asec in Ivory Coast probably put paid to that dream.
Does he now adjust his sights to the Castle Premiership and go for a second title in three seasons because he is a proud coach who knows the 34-match marathon is the ultimate test of his ability?
Stars may be babes in the big, harsh world of top-class football, but they are well organised off the field and a run to the 1998 Bob Save Super Bowl semi-finals stamped them as a team with genuine cup pedigree.
Sundowns, finding the going tough as each opponent snaps at the ankles of the Premiership and Super Bowl holders, must have wished for just about any club other than Wits.
Wits are difficult to play against because coach Eddie Lewis has injected a combative spirit in his squad and every time a Sundowns player receives possession, he will realise that a tiger is no more than two seconds away.
Cosmos and Pirates share the malaise of poor finishing. Pirates, so near and yet so far in the Premiership and the knockout events last year, appear to have lost their way since a notable 4-1 Rothmans Cup triumph at Bloemfontein Celtic.
Kaizer Chiefs striker Pollen Ndlanya has scored six goals in five matches since his return from Turkey, including two individual efforts against Bucks last weekend. So I am not offering any prizes for guessing which player will dominate the mind of Umtata coach Jani Simulambo as he tries to reverse the outcome this time round against the title holders.