Robert Marawa has offered his opinion on this weekend’s MTN8 final between Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch FC.
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‘”On Saturday, all roads lead to KwaZulu-Natal. All roads lead to the Moses Mabhida Stadium which has become synonymous for hosting every single cup final you can find under the sun in South Africa. But you know what, the fans in Durban love local football and in particular, the drama of cup finals, and I think the 17th edition of the MTN8 will be no different,” Robert Marawa said.
“It’s the 17th edition purely because that’s how long MTN have been sponsors of the top 8, but the tournament itself has a history that dates back as far as 1972. The tournament has taken on the form and guise of the BP Top 8, the SAA Super 8, and now obviously it is the MTN8 after having gone through many different evolutions. But the evolution of football is what we looking at, because there’s ten million Rand at stake. Traditionally, you’ll recall that the prize money was R8 million. Everything was eight, MTN8 and R8 million is what you would have won. But obviously, everything has to go up and now, R10 million is at stake .
“Is it about the money? I don’t think so. For me its Orlando Pirates, it’s about history, history in a form that in the kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal they can rewrite the history books.. They have won the MTN8 in 2022 and 2023, so they stand a very good chance of becoming the first club to ever win the competition three times in a row. But that’s not all. The club will be looking to join someone who has been the forefather of Orlando Pirates, who passed away earlier this year, Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala, and Pirates boss Jose Riveiro is just a step away, just one cup away from joining Screamer Tshabalala, so this is a really big moment all round for Orlando Pirates. They will be determined to do well, for the club, for the fans, and bring in more silverware to the club.
“But they need to be very careful because you can never write off Steve Barker’s Stellenbosch Football Club. The boys have been playing brilliant football, been representing the club, continentally in the CONFED Cup in CAF, but right now though, they are going to be buoyant by the fact that they did the unthinkable last season, and beat Orlando Pirates both home and away in the league. That is a feat that not just any club manages to do, so does this mean that Stellenbosch have closed the gap on Pirates? Well cup games versus league games are two different things, and this will be left to be seen. One thing I can tell you is that Iqraam Rayners will be nowhere to be seen. He’s the record holder with 68 goals in the clubs history ,which is the most. He now plays for Mamelodi Sundowns. But, whenever a great player leaves there’s always room for somebody else to step forward.
“Flash your mind back to this past weekend when they played against Polokwane City. It wasn’t their greatest game, and they managed to draw 1-1. But the quality of the goal they scored was beyond amazing, and it came from a 28-year-old forward, who scored a wonder goal, Lehlohonolo Mojela. So Bad Brad, as the supporters call him, will be a player to look out for in the Stellenbosch team.
“And well from Pirates, if you look at who got the appetite it’s players like Deon Hotto, who doesn’t play as an outright striker but who has a bit more of a defensive tone to his game. He will be another threat to Stellenbosch, so all-round , all I am saying is that it is a game we’ve all been waiting for. Whether it is raining or the sun is shining, Gods window at Moses Mabhida Stadium will be witness to who’ll be crowned the MTN8 champions for this season,” Robert Marawa concluded.
The match will kick off at 18:00 and will be screened live on Showmax PL.
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