Posted in News on Oct 05, 2006.
The Amakhosi are confident that this time around there will be no repeat of the result from two years ago as Chiefs aim to win the trophy for the first time since it had a name change in 2003.
As well as winning the event for the first time in five years, Chiefs' last triumph in the tournament came when it was still known as the BP Top Eight in 2001 when they defeated Mamelodi Sundowns in an exhilarating final at the FNB Stadium which produced four goals in normal time, before Chiefs eventually triumphed via penalty shoot out.
Chiefs will hope that the form guide does not follow the same sequence of events from the 2004 event, as one part has played itself out already with Chiefs defeating Moroka Swallows in the semifinals in Durban two weeks ago just as they did in 2004.
Chiefs will not be thinking much about those statistics as they have triumphed over SuperSport in their last two meetings in cup games against them, and The Amakhosi are confident of completing a hat-trick of cup wins against United on October 21st.
Amakhosi goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez, who was part of the action in the 2004 final explains “we learned our lesson from two years ago, we dominated in all the stakes but did not make use of the opportunities we created I think we are wiser this time around and can easily return home the victors”.
Unlike in 2004 when the game kicked off in the afternoon, this years SAA Supa8 Final has been scheduled for an evening start instead of the normal afternoon kick off. This time around the game will begin at 20h10.
Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp does not have any issue with playing the game at night saying, “taking the heat factor into account, it probably is a better idea to play the game at night as the cooler conditions could make for a better football spectacle”.
The sponsors of the Supa8 tournament, South African Airways and the Premier Soccer League, are expecting a sell-out crowd at the ABSA Stadium for the final, as was the case when Chiefs defeated Swallows in front of a full house in Durban recently at the semifinal stage of the Supa8 tournament.
In order to avoid a clamour for tickets closer to the match the PSL has opened up ticket sales for the SAA Supa8 Final, and fans can purchase them at Checkers – Shoprite as well as Computicket outlets nationwide.
The tickets for the match, which will cost fans wanting to attend the game R25, will also be available at The Amakhosi Store which is located in Gandhi Square on the corner of Rissik and Main Street in the Johannesburg CBD. There are also a limited number of tickets available for juvenile fans which are priced at R10 and fans wishing to purchase hospitality packages for the game should call the PSL on 011 482 9111.
