The Amakhosi and their opponents in Saturday’s SAA Supa8 Final SuperSport United would have had a clean sweep of all domestic Cups on offer in PSL Cup Competitions. In the last three seasons The Amakhosi have been in four Cup finals and lost just one of those final encounters, which incidentally was against SuperSport at the ABSA Stadium in Durban.

The same venue where Saturday’s cup final will be contested, the comparisons do not end there, as that Cup Final defeat in 2004 at the hands of United was also a SAA Supa8 Final.

Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp and his players are confident that the comparisons with 2004 final will end there, as they will bring home the Supa8 trophy for with SAA as the sponsor for the first time.

Victory on Saturday will be Chiefs first in the tournament for five years having last won the tournament when it was still known as the BP Top eight in 2001.

While in the past three years Chiefs have been to four Cup Finals with Saturday making it their fifth in four seasons, SuperSport have been working effortlessly in a bid to stake a claim for the mantle of South African Cup kings.

As Matsasantsa will on Saturday be appearing in their sixth Cup Final in three seasons, having won just half of those final games. Taking into account these statistics one can truly say that Saturday’s game will once again go along way towards deciding which of SuperSport United or The Amakhosi are South Africa’s true Cup kings.

Up until after the 2004 SAA Supa8 Final SuperSport boasted a 100% Cup record against Chiefs since the inception of the PSL in 1996 / 1997, having defeated The Amakhosi in two other games before the 2004 Supa8 Final.

One of which was in the 1998 – 1999 BOB Save Super Bowl Final, when United defeated Chiefs by two goals to one which prevented The Amakhosi from ending that season with two cup titles having won the Rothmans Cup earlier in the season. United’s 100% cup record against Chiefs came tumbling down a couple of months after their Supa8 triumph, in December 2004 when a Scara Ngobese inspired Chiefs defeated them in the 2004 Coca Cola Cup Final in Bloemfontein.

Thanks to a Collins Mbesuma strike with ten minutes of the game to go, which helped Chiefs retain the Coca Cola Cup title they won in 2003.

The most recent cup game between Chiefs and SuperSport saw The Amakhosi continue their winning ways against United as they bundled them out of the 2005 – 2006 ABSA Cup tournament, of which SuperSport were the defending Champions.

It took a man of the match performance from second half substitute David Mathebula to help lift Chiefs to a 3-1 victory, when the two teams clashed in March in an ABSA Cup Round of 32 game at the FNB Stadium. SuperSport will still be hurting from the fact that The Amakhosi knocked them out of the ABSA Cup, and eventually marched all the way to the final on the 20th May 2006.

Where Chiefs eventually defeated Orlando Pirates after extra time and a penalty shoot out, to dethrone SuperSport and assume the mantle of ABSA Cup Champions.

Going into Saturday’s game none of the two teams are in a real purple patch, although Chiefs should fancy themselves after playing to a credible goalless draw, with defending PSL Champions Mamelodi Sundowns on the weekend. Where as Pitso Mosimane’s team who played for most of their PSL clash against Silver Stars over the weekend with ten men, lost the game by two goals to one.

In the process Untied had striker Tony Tzabedze sent off for dangerous play, and will be without his services for the final, which will be a huge blow for SuperSport.

As it was Tsabedze’s injury time strike in extra time against Orlando Pirates at the ¼ Final stage of the Supa8 tournament that forced the game into a penalty shoot out which SuperSport eventually won 6-5.

Chiefs enter the final minus Siyabonga Nkosi who looks set to miss the final and will not have the opportunity to fight to regain his Supa8 winner medal he won last year with Bloemfontein Celtic.

When they defeated SuperSport in the final, Nkosi is also resigned to the fact that on an individual level, he will in all likelihood have to ceded the Supa8 player of the tournament award that he won when leading Celtic to the Supa8 trophy in 2005. While Nkosi will have to watch from the sidelines, Ernst Middendorp will be happy to have the midfield duo of Tinashe Nengomasha and David Mathebula available for selection for Saturday’s final.

While question marks still hang over the fitness of midfielder Derrick Spencer, he is expected to play some part in the final on Saturday.

The Amakhosi will head to Durban on Wednesday and will be looking towards making it three wins in a row of SuperSport in cup games, thereby completing a unique hat trick of victories in Cup games over Matsasantsa. Prior to Saturday’s Cup Final, which kicks off at 20h10 in the evening, Chiefs will take part in a number of social responsibility exercises, which will include and open top bus parade around the Durban CBD at lunchtime on Thursday.

Tickets for Saturday’s cup final are presently available at Computicket Outlets and Shoprite Checkers Stores nationwide - as well as The Amakhosi Store in the Johannesburg CBD at a cost of R25.

Kaizer Chiefs Vs SuperSport United Results in Cup games since 1996 – 1997

1996 – 1997


24th August 1996


Coca Cola Cup 2nd Round


Kaizer Chiefs 1 (Lebese) SuperSport United 2 (Batchelor x2)

1998 – 1999


29th May 1999


BOB Save Super Bowl Final


SuperSport United 2 (Madigage, Salmon) Kaizer Chiefs 1 (Ndlanya)

2004 – 2005


2nd October 2004


SAA Supa8 Final


Kaizer Chiefs 0 SuperSport United 1 (Evans pen 47’)

2004 – 2005


18th December 2004


Coca Cola Cup Final


SuperSport United 0 Kaizer Chiefs 1 (Mbesuma 80’)

2005 – 2006


11th March 2006


ABSA Cup Round of 32


Kaizer Chiefs 3 (Agyemang 56’, 75’, Mathebula 65’) SuperSport United 1 (Tsabedze 66’)

Kaizer Chiefs Vs SuperSport United Head to head in Cup games since

1996 – 1997

P W L GF GA GD

Kaizer Chiefs 5 2 3 6 6 0


SuperSport United 5 3 2 6 6 0

Pitso Mosimane’s record Vs Chiefs in Cup games as SuperSport United Coach

2004 – 2005


2nd October 2004


SAA Supa8 Final


Kaizer Chiefs 0 SuperSport United 1 (Evans pen 47’)

2004 – 2005


18th December 2004


Coca Cola Cup Final


SuperSport United 0 Kaizer Chiefs 1 (Mbesuma 80’)

2005 – 2006


11th March 2006


ABSA Cup Round of 32


Kaizer Chiefs 3 (Agyemang 56’, 75’, Mathebula 65’) SuperSport United 1 (Tsabedze 66’)

Head to head Chiefs Vs SuperSport in Cup games with Pitso Mosimane as SuperSport Coach

P W L GF GA GD

Kaizer Chiefs 3 2 0 4 2 2


SuperSport United 3 1 2 2 4 -2

Ernst Middendorp’s record Vs SuperSport United in Cup games as Kaizer Chiefs Coach

2005 – 2006

11th March 2006

ABSA Cup Round of 32

Kaizer Chiefs 3 (Agyemang 56’, 75’, Mathebula 65’) SuperSport United 1 (Tsabedze 66’)

Head to head Chiefs Vs SuperSport in Cup games with Ernst Middendorp as Kaizer Chiefs Coach

P W L GF GA GD

Kaizer Chiefs 1 1 0 3 1 2


SuperSport United 1 1 0 1 3 -2

Kaizer Chiefs BP Top Eight / SAA Supa 8 Roll of honour

Winners

1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2001