Knockout football is an enigma.
A place where everything and anything can happen in 90 minutes on a football pitch. It is a place where villains are hated, heroes are remembered and where legends never die.
Knockout football creates everlasting memories where matches are decided on the pitch and not on paper. The wiliest, cunning and most persevering teams survive on the day where one piece of magic can turn David into a hero and Goliath into a slain giant.
This enigma is the Nedbank Cup; South Africa’s version of the famous FA Cup in England. The Nedbank Cup is held annually and pits Premier Soccer League (PSL) teams against South Africa’s lower league sides.
The Nedbank Cup consists of 32 teams, divided into 16 PSL teams, 8 National First division teams and 8 amateur teams. The winner of the competition walks away with R6 million and a place in the lucrative CAF Confederations Cup in the next football season.
The Nedbank Cup, in its current format, started in 2008 and is South Africa’s most prestigious knockout tournament where surprise results and upsets are as common as Shisa Nyama on match day.
The cup has had its fair share of name changes over the years. The competition debuted as the Life Challenge Cup in 1971 and changed its name shortly to the Benson & Hedges Cup in the late 1970’s. From 1978 until 1987 the cup was known as the Mainstay Cup, which Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates dominated in. Chiefs did lose 3-2 to Wits University in 1978, which was the catalyst for more shocking results of student beating their master in chief.
From 1988 the famous and lucrative Bob Save Superbowl was launched. This version of the tournament gave way for stars such as Thabo Mooki and Doctor Khumalo to strut their skills on the big stage. The Bob Save Superbowl was one of the factors that launched the PSL in 1996 and influenced the legacy that it shares today.
Since the professional era of the PSL, Mamelodi Sundowns have consistently been the bridesmaid of the competition. Runners up in 2000, 2001, 2007 and 2012 is evidence of their luck in the competition. Sundowns legends such as Daniel Mudau, Michael Manzini and Brian Baloyi are also products of this exciting competition.
In 2003 the cup’s sponsorship was taken over by ABSA and was renamed as the ABSA Cup for five years, before Nedbank took over sponsorship duties.
Jomo Cosmos will start their title challenge tonight against AmaZulu in a round of 32 encounter at Olën Park. The match will start at 19:30 and Jomo Sono’s men want to start off on a good note, especially since their league form has been dismal of late. Amazulu, from the National First Division will look to head home to Durban with a win under their belts.
There can only be one.
