Andrew Muchineripi soccer
The Rothmans Cup semifinals line-up this weekend has a strange look with no Kaizer Chiefs, no Sundowns and no animated Paul Dolezar screaming instructions from the sideline.
Only Orlando Pirates among the big guns have reached the last four of a competition that seems to have lost a little sparkle, perhaps because it is the last edition to be sponsored by the cigarette company.
While not wishing to dispute the reasons behind the minister of health’s clamp on tobacco advertising, it is sad that an event that brought so much joy to so many must cease. The Rothmans Cup has been a catalyst for change in domestic football, with its R1-million first prize becoming a benchmark that other sponsors had to try and match.
My dear mother still insists money is the root of all evil, but properly spent it can make a significant difference to many lives within the South African football community.
Sticking with the clichs, change is the spice of life and so we should welcome a weekend line-up that pits Moroka Swallows against Orlando Pirates and Jomo Cosmos against Ajax Cape Town.
While Swallows won a league match for only the second time this season last weekend, they have made a big impact in the Rothmans Cup, with three-goal aggregate victories over Pretoria clubs Sundowns and SuperSport United.
After finishing runners-up to Chiefs twice and lifting the trophy at the third attempt, Sundowns were among the favourites again, only to stumble at the first hurdle, losing 3-1 away and 1-0 at home.
A couple of late first-leg goals saw off SuperSport, who never looked like overcoming a 3-0 deficit in their unusual home setting of Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace outside Rustenburg.
Pirates almost came a cropper in the first round, losing 2-1 at home to Classic before being rescued by goals from Pollen Ndlanya and Dennis Lota at the Makhulong stadium.
The Buccaneers gave their supporters further palpitations in the quarterfinals as they almost threw away a 4-2 first-leg lead over Ria Stars, earned before a huge crowd at Pietersburg stadium. With time ticking away at Vosloorus stadium two weeks later and Stars leading 3-2, Pirates were grateful to hear the sweet shrill of the final whistle as they squeezed through 6-5 on aggregate.
While Pirates appear to have a distinct edge over Swallows in terms of talent and experience, no one will be more motivated to ensure the outsiders succeed than coach Viktor Bondarenko.
Bondas has joined and left Pirates twice for reasons which were never fully explained and the former Soviet Union international would love nothing more than to put one over his old club.
Many of the players he coached are still with the Buccaneers so he should have no difficulty pinpointing the strengths and weaknesses of the new Rothmans Cup favourites.
Pirates coach Gordon Igesund is probably second only to Jomo Sono when it comes to spending time watching Premier Soccer League opponents, and rest assured he knows the flight patterns of The Birds extremely well.
He will have observed that Swallows are pleasing on the eye as they pass the ball around, but lack clinical finishers, with striker Patrick “The General” Ningiza struggling to recapture the form of last season.
Expect a low-scoring match with even a draw not necessarily ruling Swallows out of the running, come to the second leg one week later at Vosloorus on the East Rand.
While the clash of Swallows and Pirates will, inevitably, overshadow the Cosmos-Ajax showdown at Olympia Park in Rustenburg, the second semifinal is also rich in promise.
Cosmos were ruthless when disposing of Bush Bucks in the previous round, following up a 3-2 home win with a 5-0 demolition on a bumpy Independence stadium pitch in Umtata.
Sono has been able to hold on to his imports this season and there can be few better Premier Soccer League strike forces than Mozambicans Manuel Bucuane and Nuro Tualibudine and Zimbabwean Benjamin Mwaruwari.
There is considerable steel at the back and in midfield with anyone who has been tackled by Andrew “Jaws of Life” Rabutla bearing testimony to the fact that Cosmos consider football to be a game played by men.
Ajax defeated Cape Town rivals Santos twice a feat no other PSL club has managed this season in the quarterfinals and are teeming with potential stars like Dylan Sheppard, Shaun Potgieter and Steven Pienaar.