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18/04/2008 10:27
Tumo Mokone
Relegation-bound Black Leopards may yet win the Nedbank Cup as a parting shot, before they get axed from the PSL. The struggling team from Limpopo have improved slightly in their approach, since appointing Zimbabwean coach Shepherd Murape three weeks ago. But with five league matches to play and with just 16 points to show from their 25 matches to date, Leopards are unlikely to avoid the chop.
However the arrival of the street-wise Murape could lead to the team winning the inaugural Nedbank Cup title, and bank its R6m first prize for the darker days in the lower division.
On Sunday Leopards host AmaZulu at Thohoyandou stadium in the last quarter-final fixture of the tournament. Both teams benefitted from easy fixtures against amateur sides to reach the last eight. Leopards should still feel lucky that their first encounter in the cup against a fellow Premiership side is at home, against a team which currently does not rank among the powerhouses of South African football.
On the right track
Thohoyandou stadium has been quiet in recent months, with the normally vociferous home fans electing to stay home in protest against the unimaginative football Leopards have been playing. Murape concedes he found a camp in a shabby condition when he arrived. Senior players were going through the motions with no urgent need to help rescue the sinking the ship. Murape put these players aside for his second match in charge and also removed Peter Mponda as captain and installed the reliable Wonani Mulaudzi.
Murape seems to be on the right track because in his second match last weekend, Leopards gave Celtic a fright in Bloemfontein before the home side secured a 2-2 draw. The Leopards faithful are likely to come out on Sunday and their din is what the home side will need to unsettle the visitors from Durban. The home fans will also be motivated by the chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. The last-four stage may provide another 'luck of the draw' scenario because one team from the lower division is guaranteed a place, thanks to an all-first division quater-final affair between Mpumalanga Black Aces and Nathi Lions, who meet on Saturday in Witbank.
Top flight
Cup competitions are known for defying league form, as can be seen with the Premiership's log-leaders SuperSport United and closest chasers Ajax Cape Town already knocked out of the competition. In fact, Santos are the only team in the league championship race who are still part of the Nedbank Cup. The competition is the South African equivalent of the FA Cup. As can be seen with the famous knockout cup in England, the final this year will be contested by Cardiff City from the lower divisions and Portsmouth, who is not a super power in the Premiership.
The sad reality of Leopards' situation is that once the Nedbank Cup is gone, the once colourful club will have to contend with life in the first division, a league also known as the "Bush", for its poor management and corrupt deals. The local top flight scene will miss Leopards for several sentimental reasons.
Firstly, Leopards are the only club from the Limpopo province in the league, which means the national footprint of the PSL would be dented by the club's departure.
Secondly, Leopards are based in a rural backdrop, with some of their players still living in the villages around Thohoyandou. This had given hope to many small clubs in other poor areas in the country, that playing in the lucrative league was a possibility.
Erratic management style
But there are also those soccer lovers who are keenly awaiting Leopards' fall, as they believe it will rid the league of the club's erratic management style.
This year alone the club has hired three coaches, and in its six years in the top league, "Lidoda Duvha" have had 12 coaches - a very messy record whichever way you look at it.
It's rather late now for Murape to change their fortunes, but if Leopards finally get relegated next month, then the club's management must take that as an opportunity to fix all that has been wrong with their approach all these years and plan for a more mature and professional approach when they return to the top flight.
Their return to the elite league is desirable; their existence had greatly boosted morale in the largely under-developed far north of the country and the economy of Thohoyandou. The people of this small town and surrounding areas felt proud of this national representation, more so because most teams in the PSL are based in the cities. To reiterate my point, it must be back to the drawing for Lidoda Duvha, while the South African soccer fraternity anticipates their return as a better organisation.
For now the wounded Leopards must focus on what's left of their energy in winning the Nedbank Cup. My heart is with them on Sunday.
Tumo writes exclusively for Sport24.
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