Kaizer Chiefs Coach Steve Komphela said he was ready to lay down his life if that was what it would take for Amakhosi to end their six-year cup drought.
He was speaking at a press conference at the Premier Soccer League offices in Parktown, Johannesburg, ahead of their Nedbank Cup last 32 tie against the tricky Durban side, Golden Arrows at the FNB Stadium on 11 February.
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“This is how important our fans are,” he said.
“Their happiness comes before mine and if it means I should choose between my own happiness and life to that of our supporters, I would sacrifice my own life for the supporters’ happiness.
“That’s how much we value the Kaizer Chiefs brand and the happiness of our supporters. To us, their happiness means a lot more than our own.”
Komphela said he was itching to win a trophy for the club which had become known in yesteryears as the Cup Kings of South Africa. “I would love to see an end to the current cup drought being experienced by Amakhosi, and maybe the Nedbank Cup could be the one, seeing that it is now the last cup of this season.”
But the Amakhosi coach is well aware of the fact that winning the cup is not a God given birth right but one that he must work hard for. “I am fully aware that I must work extra hard to win it. It’s not a birth right.”
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Be that as it may, the Chiefs coach appears to be one of the most spoilt coaches in the Absa Premiership this season when it comes to choosing his starting line-up.
Komphela has an abundance of strikers to choose from such as Leonardo Castro, Gustav Paez, Bernard Parker, Ryan Moon, Sphelele Ntshangase and Dumisani Zuma.
On the other hand, his counterpart at Orlando Pirates Micho Sredojevic is less spoilt for choice and has to make do with what he’s got is on hand. The Buccaneers play Ajax Cape Town in the cup, a team that recently routed them 3–0 in the league.
Ajax Cape Town may be battling relegation but they are confident they can repeat their league victory against the Buccaneers on 10 February at the iconic Orlando Stadium.
But Sredojevic believes that the defeat is water under the bridge. “This is a new match with new challenges,” he said, dismissing the suggestion that it was a grudge game. “This is not a revenge match but one of the fixtures of the Nedbank Cup that we must fulfil.”
