Golden Arrows, the previous winners of the MTN 8, will not be around to defend the cup they earned with such ease last year.
The former 6-0 winners against a hapless Ajax Cape Town didn’t qualify for the tournament, after finishing 12th on the log. It shows that winning a knockout tournament doesn’t necessarily reflect how a team will fare in the log at the end of the season.
The MTN 8 is South Africa’s oldest cup competition. It was originally known as the BP Top 8 before becoming the SAA Supa 8. Though the sponsors have changed, the format remains the same, pitting the eight best-placed teams from the previous season against one another.
Known in the vernacular as “Wafa Wafa”, the winners get R8-million and the also-rans receive an R800 000 participation fee.
Perennial league champions SuperSport United start their campaign against Moroka Swallows at Dobsonville Stadium. Swallows, whose sale is reportedly “imminent”, are feeling relatively lightweight after releasing Collins Mbesuma, the overweight and undisciplined Zambian striker, and a host of other players.
On paper — though we all know that football is played anywhere but on paper — Swallows should be able to win the tie. Though they are playing at home, they will have to contend with the functional efficiency of the SuperSport machine which still has coach Gavin Hunt on board. Hunt has guided them to three successive premier league titles.
SuperSport have not performed well in cup games in the past few seasons.
Kaizer Chiefs go into the tournament buoyed by the news that their captain, Tinashe Nengomashe, is still on board. The defensive midfield stalwart was on the verge of signing for Qatari side Al Ahli Doha, but the deal fell through. The side have added only one player, Sthembiso Ngcobo, to their team, so the squad boasts the kind of continuity that usually ensures success.
They host Bloemfontein Celtic at Rand Stadium, the ground they will use as their base this season.
Normally, you would argue that Celtic have a fighting chance, but their house is not in perfect order. The Bloemfontein side recently appointed a new coach, Clinton Larsen, after Owen da Gama left abruptly to join Platinum Stars. The disruption that could have resulted was eased somewhat by the fact that Larsen knows Celtic very well, having worked as Da Gama’s assistant.
The two Cape Town sides have been handed difficult draws — Ajax Cape Town play Mamelodi Sundowns at Athlone Stadium Cape Town and Santos face Orlando Pirates at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
Pirates go into the tie deflated by the news that key defender, Lucas Thwala, is going to be out of the game for at least four months after suffering injury to the knee and ankle during a practice session.
They could field former Sundowns defender Robyn Johannes, who, at the time of writing, was reported to be on his way to Pirates. Their other defenders, Rooi Mahamutsa and Happy Jele, are not allowed to play, as each has three bookings from last season.
Ajax, with the feverish memory of last year’s thrashing on their minds, will go into the home fixture with the prize money and their hurt pride at stake.
Sundowns, now coached by Antonio Lopez Habas, have to begin to justify the millions of rands billionaire owner Patrice Motsepe has spent on them over the years. Their striker, Surprise Moriri, who has been out for six months because of injury, is back to prove his worth.
Though Arrows were the surprise winners of the tournament last year, this year one of the giants should walk away with the trophy. Is it going to be Pirates, Chiefs or Sundowns? I think it’s going to be Chiefs.