Ntuthuko Maphumulo
Two of the top teams in the Premier Soccer League will face each other in a “best of the best” BP Top 8 final on Saturday at FNB stadium for the R1-million prize money. Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs are no strangers to million-rand prize money competitions; Kaizer Chiefs won the Rothmans Cup twice while Sundowns triumphed in that now-defunct competition once.
Orlando Pirates have never had the chance to win R1-million in a cup competition, although they won the Premier soccer league title last year.
Both Kaizer Chiefs and Sundowns are hungry for some silverware after a drought last season. At stake for the players will be their pride, half of the prize money and praise from their coaches.
Putco Mafani, public relations officer (PRO) of Kaizer Chiefs, said in no uncertain terms the match will end at 5pm with his team as winners. Mafani said: “All Sundowns have won is the toss of a coin to wear their home strip. At the final whistle they will leave the pitch with only that and not the money and cup.”
Sundowns PRO Alex Shakoane retorted: “The players will play like men possessed as there are two kraals, one that belongs to Chiefs and the other is the champions Sundowns.”
Kaizer Chiefs go to the final after a morale-boosting 1-0 win against arch-rivals Orlando Pirates in last week’s semifinal. Sundowns, on the other hand, must forget their 0-2 loss in Nigeria against Julius Berger in the African Champions League. The Pretoria club is still smarting that it could not register some players in time for the continental competion.
Shakoane said: “We are angry, furious and were robbed of our three creative strikers by [the Confederation of African Football] and [the South African Football Association] and on Saturday we will be unleashing all this anger on Chiefs.”
Sundowns are looking to their new “general”, dribbling and accurate-passing wizard Haraeipha “Simba” Marumo, to bang in the goals, while Chiefs’ main strike force is likely to be Jose Macamo and new signing Kenny Niemach. The latter (who numbers Sundowns among his previous clubs) was a surprise package last week against Pirates and scored the winning goal to get Chiefs to the final.
Extra time will be played if the match is not decided within 90 minutes, and if there is still a deadlock the final will be won on penalties.
If history is anything to go by, supporters are in for great entertainment when the Zambian Masters take on the South African Masters in a curtain-raiser game to the final. The South African Masters drew 2-2 with the English Masters team a few months ago in Durban and showed what a class act they are.