Even the best football pundit would have laughed off any predictions that suggested Pretoria University FC might win the Nedbank Cup.
The Pretoria University boys, commonly known as AmaTuks, have executed a mission impossible, claiming the scalps of three Absa premiership teams — Kaizer Chiefs, Bloemfontein Celtic and Ajax Cape Town — to book a place in the finals of the Nedbank Cup.
Now they’re aiming their sharp swords towards Moroka Swallows. The two sides will square off this weekend at the upgraded Rand Stadium, south of Johannesburg. Should AmaTuks live up to expectations and pin down the Dube birds, they will pocket a whopping R6-million and go into the history books as the first National First Division team to win the cup.
AmaTuks play good, attacking football and always run at defenders. They have made star defenders such as Jimmy Tau of Chiefs and John Maduka of Celtic look like high-school boys. Players such as Phenyo Mongala, Shafeeq Arendse and Mthokozisi Yende, to name a few, are marvellous to watch.
However, Swallows finished a disappointing 11th in the Absa premiership and desperately need to pacify their supporters by winning the cup. Still the former Soweto giants cannot afford to take the match into extra time because the AmaTuks players run as if there’s no tomorrow.
Should the AmaTuks not win the Nedbank Cup, they can walk off the field with pride. They have displayed a brand of fast, attacking football, which we sometimes miss in the Absa premiership.