KwaNdebele’s TS Galaxy will begin the defence of their Nedbank Cup with a home clash against fellow GladAfrica Championship side Cape Umoya United.
This follows the draw of the 16 teams of the National First Division that will make up the eight teams to join the 16 from the Premier Division of the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) Absa Premiership.
The other eight teams to make up the 16 teams from the ranks of the lower division will come from the South African Football Association’s (Safa) structures, which includes the second and third tier of leagues below the prestigious Absa Premiership.
The eight teams of the Safa structures will come from the ABC Motsepe League and the SAB League. There are seven teams of the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association who play in these leagues and they could qualify to represent the township for the very first time in the country’s richest football cup competition of the Absa Premiership.
AJ Alex United, Alex Black Aces and Babirwa FC play in the ABC Motsepe League which is a precursor to the GladAfrica Championship and Alex Black Poison, Alexandra Gunners, Malandela Mighty Heroes and Setheo United all ply their trade in the SAB League.
Speaking at the draw conducted at the headquarters of the PSL in Parktown, Johannesburg, PSL’s manager of competitions Thami Khuzwayo who was the draw master, said the dates, times and venues of the Ndebank Cup would be communicated in due course after consultation with the sponsors.
The competition has become popularly known as the ‘David versus Goliath’ cup as it pits the ‘Davids’ of the SAB League, ABC Motsepe League and the GladAfrica Championship against the ‘Goliaths’ of the Absa Premiership.
Last year’s cup was won by a ‘David’ in the form of TS Galaxy of the GladAfrica Championship. TS Galaxy rewrote the cup’s history as the first lower-division team to lift the trophy and also went on to become the country’s first lower-division representative in the currently running Caf Confederations Cup.
Whether TS Galaxy will go on to successfully defend the trophy as SuperSport United did in 2017, only time will tell. If they do, they will once again make history by being the second team to do so, and the first from the lower division.
The full draw:
Richards Bay FC versus Ajax Cape Town
Real Kings FC versus Steenberg United
Swallows FC versus Royal Eagles
Mbombela United versus JDR Stars
TS Galaxy versus Cape Umoya United
Free State Stars versus TS Sporting
Tshakhuma FC versus Uthongathi FC
Jomo Cosmos versus the University of Pretoria.
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https://northeasterntribune.co.za/245896/sweden-beckons-for-vw-soccer-winners/
