Staunch South African football fans have been urged to be fair and not spiteful in their voting throughout the new and exciting Carling Black Label Knockout cup competition.
The Carling Knockout has undoubtedly set the bar high with the new R100 000 man-of-the-match prize money and many other prices up for grabs.
Arne Rust, who is the Carling Black Label brand director, announced during the tournament launch that the new knockout competition will see fans having the power to decide who walks away the hefty cheque after every single knockout game.
Teams such as Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns that have a big fanbase, will see their players at an advantage of receiving more votes than other teams.
Providing more context on the rules and how the voting process of the man-of-the-match goes, Rust said their hands are tied but will hope the fans will reward players based on their performance and not because of the club they are representing.
“At the moment, it is hard to specify which players are eligible, but we are hoping the South African football fans will reward performance more than anything,” Rust said.
“We will see how the games go and for this season, we’ve made this decision and we intend to stick with it.
“And maybe if we see that it doesn’t work out and certain players are being rewarded without bringing the energy, we will consider reviewing how we look at the whole setup next season.
“At the end of the day, the fans are the reason why football is such a fantastic sport and the beautiful game. Giving that power to the fans comes with the responsibility and I am hoping that the fans get it right.”
TS Galaxy captain Mlungisi Mbunjana became the first player to pocket the R100 000 prize money following his stellar performance against Sundowns during their tournament opener on Wednesday night.
The prize money has been the subject of talk, with most respective coaches admitting that it will only encourage players to perform at their level best and will also become a life-changing experience.
