This weekend’s Telkom Charity Cup has for the past three weeks provided an emotional rollercoaster ride for the 18 teams in the Premier Soccer League. The ride came to an end this week when the four teams who will participate in the tournament were announced after the 650 000 votes cast by the public had been tallied.
Rookies Black Leopards proved the most popular, making them the surprise package in the Cup. The Leopards will face Moroka Swallows in the opening game, and they will be looking for revenge. Last season Swallows beat the Leopards twice, at a home and at an away game. And not only did Swallows beat the rookies on the field, but also off the field when they signed the Leopards’ coach, Gavin Hunt, before the new season started.
For the Leopards, this encounter with the Dube birds will be a chance to heal old wounds, while Swallows, and especially Hunt, will want to prove that their new coach not only fills the boots of former coach Victor Bondarenko, but can also go one better. Leopards’ supporters will be waiting with bated breath to see what their coach Arnaldo Salvado has up his sleeve when they face Swallows.
The second eagerly awaited game is a pre-season derby match between arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs and defending Charity Cup holders Orlando Pirates. Last year the derby between Pirates and Chiefs saw Pirates win and go on to be crowned Charity Cup winners. With this year’s draw pitting the two against each other again, Chiefs will be looking for revenge.
The Charity Cup has become one of the most important soccer events in the country. Not only is it about the four participating teams, but also those soccer supporters who are aged, disabled and children. Soccer supporters ensure that through the calls they have made in the past three weeks, and gate takings on the day of the tournament, the less fortunate benefit. To ensure that the teams display first-class soccer, prize money amounting to R384 000 will be divided among them. There will also be individual awards for players.