Upington City’s journey to the top has been so rapid that they will face veteran ABC Motsepe League team Kimberley Real Madrid in their first provincial play-offs on Sunday.
ROOKIE ABC Motsepe League club, Upington City FC, are in the provincial finals of the Safa administered league taking place in Postmasburg this weekend and may, if successful, advance to the national finals from where they may contest for a spot in the Glad Africa League.
The Upington side have set the provincial league on fire with their enterprising brand of football that has seen them rise to the top of the ABC Motsepe League’s southern stream.
Upington City’s journey to the top has been so rapid that they will face veteran ABC Motsepe League team Kimberley Real Madrid in their first provincial play-offs on Sunday at 2pm at the Postmasburg exhibition grounds.
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Upington City, otherwise affectionately referred to as ‘Bafana ba Gucci’ by the team’s supporters, early last year bought the ABC Motsepe League status of Khumalo Chiefs and renamed the team.
The owners of Upington City have thus far steered clear of the media, preferring to let their new acquisitions do the talking on the pitch, and the results speak for themselves.
Kimberley Real Madrid for their part, are old hands at the game being a team who have campaigned in the predecessors of the current league ABC Motsepe League for many years. Madrid too are novices to the play-offs. This weekend being the first time ever that they have made it that far up the Safa rankings.
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Real Madrid coach Alton Waterboer said he knew absolutely nothing of his team’s opponents except that they play very good football. “They play like a professional unit and that trait has brought them this far,” he said.
Waterboer told the DFA that he has not altered a lot of stuff in his side in preparation for Sunday’s play-offs. “I didn’t tinker much with the side and mostly kept the core squad intact for this game. We have a squad of 30 which includes about four out-and-out strikers. We at times draft in a capable player to fill the position depending on the situation,” he added.
In another related development this week regarding the provincial play-offs, NC Professionals, the runners up to Upington City in the western stream of the league, said they have given notice to their legal team to ask Safa to investigate the conduct of Upington City.
NC Pros executive committee member Advocate Alister Davids said they instructed their lawyers on Wednesday, requesting that Safa intervene by way of investigating Upington FC’s conduct. This related to Upington FC’s involvement in a match in January this year where they allegedly fielded an ineligible player.
Safa headquarters were not available for comment at the time of going to print.
