Andrew Muchineripi Soccer
The first thing that must be said about the third Rothmans Cup final is that it certainly is not what we anticipated last July when the richest domestic knockout competition in Africa kicked off.
Sundowns reaching their third consecutive final comes as no surprise, but where did Free State Stars come from? Are twice winners Kaizer Chiefs not supposed to be there as well?
The Rothmans Cup and Chiefs and Sundowns has an extremely familiar ring – why, it sounds just as natural as goals and Dennis Lota, quality football and Ted Dumitru, Chiefs and Kaizer Motaung and AmaZulu and Clive Barker.
After an unbelievable – to use once more the mother of all clichs – series of events, most of which took place off the field, we have a cup final on Saturday afternoon at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace.
Where? Well, a ground that will take your breath away is situated just outside Rustenburg in the North-West province, and provides a fitting setting for such an important occasion.
This humble member of the Muchineripi clan backs the Premier Soccer League (PSL) 100% (now there is something new) on the choice of venue, especially after I paid a brief visit to the ground in midweek.
It is among the stadiums listed in our 2006 World Cup bid and fully deserves to be there, with excellent views and facilities. History will be made tomorrow when the first football match is staged there. Good luck to all concerned.
All we need now is a match worthy of the occasion and when it comes to cup finals there is no better match than David versus Goliath, and that is exactly what we have got.
Sure, there are risks because if Sundowns score a couple of early goals, we might as well head for home. However, I suspect there is too much at stake financially with a R1,1-million first prize for Stars to cave in.
Clubs are always reluctant to reveal financial information, even when you assure them you are not an undercover agent for the taxman, but it is pretty common knowledge that at least some of the loot goes to the coach and players.
So if Sundowns coach Paul Dolezar wants extra shopping money for Paris at Christmas, here is his big opportunity. Come to think of it, this match is very much a Dolezar affair.
For those who have just returned from extended holidays on the Moon, let me remind you that Dolezar was the mastermind behind Chiefs’ two penalty shoot-out triumphs over Sundowns in the Rothmans Cup.
The Franco-Yugoslav coach vowed to make it a hat-trick before the latest edition began and the odds are stacked in favour of him realising his dream. Hell, he could be quite unbearable come Saturday night.
On paper, you cannot compare star- studded, multi-talented Sundowns with the unknowns of Stars, who stunned us all last Tuesday by defeating heavily favoured Manning Rangers 1-0 at Chatsworth Stadium in Durban.
All seemed lost for Ella Kota when they could only draw with the Mighty Maulers at home, but the more the media scoff when told football is a funny old game, the more it proves them wrong.
Perhaps, like France against the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup semi- finals, Stars reached their peak in midweek and will have nothing in reserve. Perhaps, but I doubt it.
You see, Stars are being coached on a temporary basis by that wily old fox Eddie Lewis who, at 63, must know just about all there is to know about cup finals by now.
Lewis was unceremoniously dumped by Wits University during the close season after seeing his team lose on penalties to SuperSport United in the Bob Save Super Bowl semi-finals.
That defeat hurt because the Clever Boys were the better team on the day, creating more chances, and the result cost him his job. While Lewis put on a brave face, you sensed he was suffering deep down.
Dolezar needs the Rothmans Cup like an Italian needs his shades and scooter. And Lewis is determined to make his rival as happy as a hungry Italian being told there is no pasta left.
I have to select Sundowns as winners because they boast such an array of talent, from goalkeeper John Tlale, through defender Frank Schoeman to midfielder Roger Feutmba and striker Daniel Mudau.
Stars stars are, yes, well … actually they do not have one individual that would spring immediately to mind among taxi commuters. Bunene Ngaduane, the striker from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is probably the best known.
Oh, and then there is Themba Seli because his appearance on the pitch in the quarter-final against Jomo Cosmos led to an undignified, six-round, off-the- pitch battle that shredded the image of the Rothmans Cup and the PSL.
Let us hope Stars do not do anything “Seli” on Saturday – on or off the field – and that a competition reduced to a farce recently ends on a fitting note. May the best team win.