- The two Soweto giants resume their rivalry
- It will be the second clash of the season between Chiefs and Pirates
- Chiefs are the defending champions
WHAT HAPPENED? The Carling Cup draw was conducted on Monday evening and the two Soweto giants were picked to play against each other at FNB Stadium. Mamelodi Sundowns and AmaZulu will face off in the other semi-finals of the new format of this competition which now involves four teams.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Chiefs and Pirates colliding in the Carling Cup headlines the tournament and attracts massive interest. It will be the second time for the Soweto giants to meet this season as they will first clash in the Premier Soccer League on October 29.
AND WHAT'S MORE: It was the fans who voted the Carling Cup semi-finalists and Amakhosi came out tops, followed by the Buccaneers, Sundowns and then AmaZulu. But Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is on record slamming the timing of this tournament.
WHAT THEY SAID: “I will be happy if they postponed the Carling Cup or something like that,” said Broos as per Times Live. “They’ll have four teams in one day, but I think they can easily play it at the beginning of December or just before the season restarts — why not? That will make the players free from November 5 and I can then start the camp.
“But then I have to have an agreement with the clubs because they’ll give a holiday to their players because they’ll restart the preparation for the season at the end of November or the beginning of December. So they’ll give them a bit of a holiday. If they want to do that I can’t have the players either.”
STORY IN THREE PHOTOS:
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TwitterDID YOU KNOW? The Carling Cup was first staged in 2011 but could not take place in 2018 and 2020. It used to feature just Chiefs and Pirates but has been expanded to four teams this year which will be the competition's 10th edition.
THE VERDICT:
The Carling Cup teams have been selected now and here are the date and kickoff times of the tournament.
This is how the fans voted for the Carling Cup participating teams.
Swallows FC fans feel shortchanged, they believe their team is one of the most popular and should have been in the competition.
WHAT NEXT FOR CHIEFS AND PIRATES? For now, Pirates are preparing to face Sekhukhune United on Tuesday in a league game while Chiefs clash with Swallows.
