It turned out as though pre-ordained when Kaizer Chiefs were pitted against Jomo Cosmos in a ”best of enemies” Coca-Cola Cup quarterfinal on Monday.
The bitterness between the clubs, which stems from the long-standing feuding and fighting between respective owners Kaizer Motaung and Jomo Sono, flared up again recently after Motaung accused tough-tackling Cosmos defender Andrew Rabutla of ongoing ”dirty play” and suggested he should be banned from soccer.
Rabutla, in turn, launched a scathing counter-attack against Motaung and claimed the comments of the Chiefs chairperson and MD had placed his life and that of his family in jeopardy, with numerous threats directed at him from angry and incensed Amakhosi supporters.
”I’ve lost respect for the man,” retorted Rabutla, while Motaung left little doubt as to who he believed was the guiding influence behind the retort from a player who is widely known as ”Jaws of Life” for his unrelenting approach.
And as if the bad blood between Chiefs and Cosmos was not flowing at the pace of a cascading waterfall, Amakhosi communications manager Thebe Mohatle added fuel to the fire by declaring: ”I’m worried by this draw. I’m worried how many Chiefs players are going to end up in hospital.”
Chiefs have won this tournament three times since its inception four seasons ago — and adding further spice to the game against Cosmos is the fact that Sono’s team accounted for Amakhosi in the other final.
But for the bitterness between holders Chiefs and Cosmos, the quarterfinal draw at the sponsors’ Johannesburg headquarters would have been highlighted by the pairing of Premier Soccer League log leaders Orlando Pirates and recent SAA Supa8 Cup winners Bloemfontein Celtic.
Celtic eliminated Pirates in the semifinals of the Supa8 competition and the Bloemfontein club’s colourful coach, Paul Dolezar, claimed that lightning was indeed poised to ”strike twice in the same place”.
Both Chiefs and Pirates were drawn with home ties — as were Cape Town clubs Ajax Cape Town and Santos, who face Mamelodi Sundowns and Supersport United respectively.
The quarterfinal ties will take place next week, with venues and dates decided at a meeting of the Cup committee on Tuesday. — Sapa
The Coca-Cola Cup quarterfinal draw
Home teams mentioned first:
Kaizer Chiefs vs Jomo Cosmos
Orlando Pirates vs Bloemfontein Celtic
Ajax Cape Town vs Mamelodi Sundowns
Santos vs Supersport United