UJ seek Varsity Football redemption

Having missed out on qualification last year, the University of Johannesburg have re-focused as they bid for Varsity Football redemption from 18 July.

The UJ team were runners-up to University of Pretoria in the 2014 tournament and not playing last year will have hurt their pride.

Soccer club manager Joel Kgokong said the whole squad, from the players to the technical staff and management, were determined to fly the varsity flag high.

He said the club has undergone a number of changes since 2014, with less than 20 percent of the squad of two years ago still with them.

Former assistant coach Mandla Zwane has taken over as head coach and he will receive assistance from U19 team mentor Benjamin Khubeka.

Kgokong outlined their preparations for this year’s run at the trophy. “Since we qualified for this year’s tournament, we have intensified our preparations and re-aligned our performance strategies in our bid to win the title,” he said.

He added that they had also increased their playing resources which had achieved the desired effect. “A bigger squad has created much-needed competition among the players and assisted with replacements in case of injuries.” Kgokong said this decision proved to be a good one as the team had a strong finish in the SAB League season.

They also won the Joburg Cup and the Federation of Africa University Sports Football tournament this year.

He did not single out any players as he looked ahead to the start of the Varsity Football competition, saying every member had an important role to perform.

Even though they will face a tough opener against North West University, Mafikeng, who he identified as serious contenders, Kgokong said they would be looking for a strong start to the competition.

“It is very important to make a winning start as it will position the team well on the table to challenge for the play-offs.