Casric Stars midfielder Abubakar Mumuni says that he is confident that they will cause an upset and knock the mighty Kaizer Chiefs out of the Nedbank Cup on Sunday night.
The Ghanaian, together with his coach Baks Mthombeni addressed the media ahead of the much-awaited Last 16 clash against Amakhosi at the FNB Stadium on Sunday night. The KwaNdebele-based club reached this stage of the tournament after walloping Mkhambathi FC 4-0 in the Last 32 round.
The Nedbank Cup is known as the tournament where David is pitted against Goliath and many top tier clubs have been knocked out by unfancied amateur clubs from the lower divisions.
The tournament is used by the smaller clubs to market themselves and for the unknown players to make a name for themselves. Casric bought the status of Free State Stars two seasons ago.
The most memorable and embarrassing Nedbank Cup defeat was when ABC Motsepe League side Maluti FET College knocked out Orlando Pirates 4-1 in 2013. Chiefs have also had their fair share of embarrassing moments, exiting the tournament at the expense of Baroka FC some few years back.
Said Abubakar: “I think it is not only abut me, we have a bunch of experienced players and we are all looking forward to the game. It is a good platform for the players to gel. This game is a blessing for us because we want to establish ourselves in the league and to leave a legacy. We are not under pressure, we are just enjoying the moment and we will see how it goes. We are ready to upset Chiefs,” he said.
Casric stars players celebrated when they were drawn against Chiefs in the Last 16. This is how coach Mthombeni explained the players’ reaction: “To be honest, I am a die-hard supporter of Chiefs and that’s why the boys were celebrating the draw and they were asking me which colours I am going to wear. They are just keen and excited to see the father and son battle.
“I am a big Chiefs fan and have been following Chiefs since Arthur Zwane, Jabu Mahlangu and Ace Mbuthu were playing – so, I was always driving to Chiefs’ games from Mpumalanga. We are going to prepare like we prepare for like every game, I do not see any difference because on the field it is 11 players against 11. This is the right platform to prove ourselves and it is going to be big exposure to our players,” he explained further.
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