Voting issues hit Carling Cup
It was former Kaizer Chiefs coach Vladimir Vermezovic who, befuddled by some selections in the Carling Cup two years ago, declared he would not even sit on the bench for the pre-season Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates.
Ultimately, Vermezovic was convinced to change his mind and duly took up his place in the dugout for that inaugural match, where the starting XIs of the Soweto giants were for the first time selected through popular vote.
The competition, controversially sprung on South Africans with the highly regarded Charity Spectacular abruptly and inexplicably terminated, returns for the third time this Saturday, with Amakhosi and the Buccaneers clashing at an already sold out Soccer City (kick-off 3.30pm).
While Vermezovic’s comments raised eyebrows in 2011, when he was forced to coach a team which had no left-back, last year the controversy was seen on matchday, after the fans apparently “voted” for the substitutions of goalkeepers Moeneeb Josephs and Itumeleng Khune, which seemed utterly senseless given that both had garnered the most votes for their teams respectively heading into the match.
This year is bound to be no different. After 14 weeks of voting, the multitudes of Chiefs and Pirates have made some startling selections, with little prospect of change as the votelines slam shut at midnight tonight.
According to information sent by the organisers, Siyabonga Sangweni has proven to be the most popular defender in the Pirates side, having garnered over 370000 votes by yesterday. Yet Sangweni has been plagued by injuries since the Africa Cup of Nations finals in February, and last represented Pirates in an official match in March.
He’s said to have returned to training but the fact that Roger de Sa did not feel the compulsion to risk him in last Saturday’s crucial CAF Champions League match against AC Leopards suggests he would again not feature this weekend, rendering the fans’ votes absolutely in vain.
Another player who’s proven a hit among the Ghost but might not take part in the game is Tlou Segolela. With over a quarter of a million votes, Segolela is the third most popular Pirates midfielder behind Oupa Manyisa (299968) and Andile Jali (293128).
But as confirmed by his absence from the Pirates squad at the weekend, Segolela is still embroiled in a dispute with the Bucs hierarchy, having rejected their offer after his initial contract with the club expired at the end of last month.
Bucs coach De Sa stated categorically that “Segolela is no longer a Pirates player”, and his presence in Saturday’s line-up exposes further flaws about the Carling Cup, for which voting takes place at an awkward time, with player transfers and contracts up for renewal.
The places of Sangweni and Segolela should go to the players next in line in terms of votes, and Rooi Mahamutsa and Daine Klate are poised to benefit.
At Chiefs, there are no such challenges, with their entire starting XI made up of players who are still contracted to the club. But Morgan Gould, who started in Sunday’s Gauteng Challenge against Bloemfontein Celtic in Pretoria, is nowhere near the starting team.
Another of Stuart Baxter’s starters at the weekend, the ever popular Knowledge Musona, also looks set to be relegated to the bench as he’s third behind Bernard Parker and Lehlohonolo Majoro in the strikers pecking order.
Zimbabwean Musona, who was only confirmed to have rejoined Chiefs on loan just over a week ago, has to his credit amassed nearly 400000 to Parker’s 711000 and Majoro’s 695000. Overall, Chiefs have over 12,4 million votes, to Pirates’ 7,4 million. The player with the highest votes in both teams is Itumeleng Khune, the Chiefs captain, with nearly 2,7 million.
Votelines close at midnight tonight, with the official starting teams set to be announced tomorrow.