Football’s focus this weekend is on a revived cup competition
Ntuthuko Maphumulo
It’s back, hotter than Mexican chillies and Indian spices. It’s the Coca-Cola Cup, nicknamed “ya chesa (its hot)”. It is the second-richest cup competition in Africa, with the winning team taking home R2-million making the Premier Soccer League title seem small change.
The cup is expected to highlight the good old days of South African soccer, when the game was not just about scoring cash but also about flair, passion, skill and creativity. There will be villains and heroes and casualties on the field during the competition. The first casualties of this competition were Black Leopards and Moroka Swallows, who were disposed of by Manning Rangers and Amazulu respectively, in the preliminary round.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has called off all its games this weekend to allow the first round proper of the cup to take centre stage. The big three teams in the PSL Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Sundowns have yet to win this cup, which was staged for five years in the 1990s. It was replaced by the Rothmans Cup, which had to be discontinued at the end of last season because of the ban on tobacco advertising.
The Coca-Cola Cup has always been the preserve of the underdogs, with Amazulu taking the trophy in 1992, followed by Bush Bucks in 1993, Qwa Qwa Stars in 1994, Wits in 1995 and Bush Bucks again in 1996.
This weekend three of the previous winners will be fighting to stay in the knockout competition.
There will be no replays if the teams are level after 90 minutes. The golden goal rule applies in extra time and after that the game goes to a penalty shoot-out.
The last-16 round of games kicks off on Saturday at the Olympia stadium in Rustenburg, where Jomo Cosmos will face Bush Bucks. Cosmos will be boosted by defender Calvin Motloung, whom they signed earlier in the week, and are on a high after their 2-0 win against Moroka Swallows. Bush Bucks will have to rely on the experienced Zimbabwean twins, William and Wilfred Mugeyi, who won them the cup twice before.
Manning Rangers, who take on Ria Stars, will be hoping to put behind them the memories of being walloped 2-5 by Santos in a PSL game.
They will go into Saturday’s game with their egos having been battered and bruised in front of their supporters at Chatsworth soccer ground.
Rangers coach Clive Barker will have to recollect the wisdom that brought him this cup with Amazulu in 1993, when his team shocked Kaizer Chiefs 3-1 in the final.
Ria Stars are newcomers to the Coca-Cola Cup competition and they will be hoping the cup’s tradition of upsets continues if they are to have any chance of reaching the final.
Amazulu are at home to fellow former winners Free State Stars who were known as Qwa Qwa Stars when they won the title. Amazulu seem unbeatable at their Princess Magogo stadium home ground. They have already beaten Free State Stars at this venue this season 2-1 in a PSL game.
Free State Stars will have to go on the attack throughout the whole game if they hope to win. If they don’t they might regret their defensive attitude as they did in their midweek game against Sundowns. The Free Staters were leading 1-0 at half-time, but then went into their shell in the second half and allowed Sundowns to equalise.
Playing for a point doesn’t work in this competition, where who dares, wins.