Expect a touch of sadness at Saturday night’s SAA Supa8 final between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates at King’s Park Stadium in Durban — likely to be a highly charged, electric occasion.
The close association both clubs had with Sundowns player Gift Leremi, who died in a motor accident a matter of days ago, will account for the lingering pall, which Sundowns coach Gordon Igesund proclaims will act as a monument to the slain football prodigy.
Sundowns-Pirates clashes, in any case, are invariably thrillers in one way or another and this game has all the right ingredients, with both clubs desperate for a victory after suffering a series of early-season setbacks.
The mercurial Teko Modise’s form for Bafana Bafana against Uruguay in the goalless draw at Ellis Park on Wednesday will surely be an encouraging factor for the Buccaneers.
However, a relieved Igesund has reported that the Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions will have an injury-free squad for the first time this season — and this will be a boost for the Brazilians’ wavering confidence.
But the Sundowns coach says he has still to gauge whether returning stalwarts such as Godfrey Sapula and Michael Manzini will be sufficiently match fit to throw into the cauldron of a final — ”but it’s comforting to know they are in the squad,” he added, ”and available if needed.”
Although Sundowns have dominated the PSL championship with a record five titles since the inception of the league a decade ago, their achievements in official knock-out competitions have been surprisingly erratic and spattered with a series of unexpected and untimely setbacks.
Pirates, for their part, are experiencing a drought of titles over several years and with successive defeats at the start of the season’s PSL campaign, cannot yet be deemed to have emerged from the tentacles of an impending crisis. Democratic Republic of Congo-born coach Bibey Mutombo still walks a tightrope with the Buccaneers and needs a cup success at this juncture to cement his position.
Sundowns, doubtlessly, will be heartened by the impressive return of Calvin Marlin to the Bafana line-up as a second-half substitute against Uruguay, and Igesund can be expected to recall his number-one goalkeeper for this critical occasion after missing out on several games through injury.
And with greater fluidity and cohesion in their midst, the Brazilians could edge their way to a much-needed knock-out triumph. — Sapa