WeeklySA_AdminWAFA-WAFA: NEW CHAMPIONS BECKONS FROM LAST FOUR STANDING
By Ali Mphaki
Everywhere you go soccer fans are gobbling up the ever expensive data bundles “chatting” about the MTN8 first leg semi-finals penciled for the weekend.
A week after “losing its signal” thanks to the kickoff of the 2021/22 DStv Premiership games, the MTN8 games sponsored by the giant cellphone operator are back with the four teams remaining sufficiently “recharged” for the grueling two-legged home-and-away games, making for another sumptuous weekend of local football.
The second leg games will be played on the last weekend of September. You might say the signal has been fully restored after defending champions Orlando Pirates ran out of airtime failing to respond in normal time to a “Please Call Me” message from Swallows FC.
The Bucs batteries “died” ultimately losing 2-1 to the Birds, their frustrated German coach Josep Zinnbauer “smashing his cellphone” in anger changing subscribers midway and calling it quits after the game – typical in what happens in cup games.
Joining Pirates in sitting out the semis are SuperSport United, Amazulu, and lucky-to-have made it to last season’s top 8 Kaizer Chiefs, who were all edged out in the MTN8 quarter finals played two weeks ago. It’s now all to play for with the remaining quartet all capable of making it to the finals, especially if the unpredictability of cup games is anything to go by.
Login in proceedings Saturday is a game of intrigue which sees Lamontville Golden Arrows at home up against Mamelodi Sundowns at the Sugar Ray Xulu stadium in Clermont, 3pm. It’s worth noting that both teams made it to the semis after winning on penalties after extra time.
Sundowns beat Chiefs 2-1 on penalties having played to a 2-2 draw after 120 minutes. A similar situation prevailed for Arrows, who went on to pierce SuperSport United 4-3 on penalties. Both teams were drawn at 2-2 extra time.
On any given day, Sundowns ala the Taliban taking over Afghanistan are capable of annihilating the opposition in a rapid operation – which makes them favourites in this encounter. On paper kabo Yelow – ironically a colour resembling that of sponsor MTN – are pitted against an opposition which their hordes of fans derisively describe as akin to bringing a knife to a gun fight.
Corky are Sundowns supporters that they find it inconceivable that with their array of stars, every position in the team being fought for, will buckle under Abafan’besthende, as Arrows are fondly known, a team which ironically used to be coached by the Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mqithi as well as his assistant Steve Komphela.
But as their sparkling performance last season would show, you can only undermine Arrows at your peril. New coach Lehlohonolo Seema seem to have fitted in like hand to glove with Arrows continuing to exhibit their trademark flair seen in their past two league games, first by beating neighbours Maritzburg City 2-1 and even though they went down 3-1 to SuperSport in what was seen as a revenge game on Wednesday, were no mere walkovers.
But with Saturday’s game against Sundowns a cup game – Wafa Wafa – Arrows are expected to fight for their lives, never fleeing from their responsibility and leaving their supporters stranded at the gates of glory. A definite must watch game with all the ingredients of a humdinger!
Also making it to the semis in similar fashion are Swallows FC and Cape Town City, both teams winning their quarter finals without having to undergo the lottery of penalties, wrapping up their games in normal time.
Cape Town City edged out Amazulu 2-1 away. (Swallows as aforementioned beating Pirates 2-1). Both teams meet in another semi-final Sunday at the Athlone stadium, 3pm.
No doubt fans see the 2021 MTN8 semis as a Gauteng versus KZN and Western Cape battle. Two of the semi -finalists are from Gauteng, namely Sundowns and Swallows. On the balance of probabilities, it should follow that one of Gauteng teams will be in the MTN8 final, if not both.
It is interesting to notice that battle lines seem to have been drawn on provincial basis, with even heart sore Pirates and Chiefs fans rooting for their homeboys Swallows, but not for Sundowns. A whooping R8-miilion is at stake and it is only those like MTN willing to go “everywhere’ who will emerge victorious earning universal coverage and appeal.
My prediction is a Swallows vs Sundows final.
