Football lovers are in for a treat when the 10th edition of one of Africa’s richest cup competitions, the Nedbank Cup kicks off in March.

SuperSport United will open their account in defence of the trophy. Matsatsantsa A Pitori (the bourgeoisie of Pretoria), as SuperSport is fondly known to its avid supporters, will start the ball rolling against a Durban outfit plying its trade in the National First Division (NFD), Royal Eagles which was formerly known as Sivutsa FC.

Interviewed after the Sandton launch and draw of the Nedbank Cup, SuperSport defence stalwart Clayton Daniels said they were eager and ready to successfully defend the trophy.

“We have been training hard during the Africa Cup of Nations break and played a lot of friendlies to ready ourselves for the defence of the cup,” he said. “I am confident of our success in that score if we can pick up from where we left before the break.

“With the kind of [players] we have in the team, we want to make history by becoming the first team to successfully defend this cup.”

Daniels warned his teammates against complacency and said they should not undermine the NFD side as they were capable of springing a surprise on them.

“This is what the Nedbank Cup is well-known for – surprises on the so-called big guns of the Absa Premiership. It is not known as the David versus Goliath cup for nothing. We need to up our game and be vigilant at all times,” he said.

With prize money of R7 million and a guaranteed R100 000 for the lowest league team that qualifies for the last 32, the tournament not only provides much-needed funding for some of the struggling sides, it also inspires players by giving them a chance to showcase their talent and gain valuable top-flight football experience.

The cup has also turned out to be the launchpad for teams such as Baroka FC which rose from being an unknown third-tier side that beat Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs in 2011. Baroka continued to rise year after year, made the cup semi-finals in 2016 and are currently playing in the Absa Premiership.

This tournament also guarantees the winner entry to the continental Confederation of African Football Confederation Cup.

Read: Sundowns wary of SuperSport

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