All set for Nedbank Cup
The draw for the last 32 teams for the 2018 Nedbank Cup was held in Johannesburg.
SOME of the top clubs in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) received home advantage during the draw for the last 32 teams for the 2018 Nedbank Cup.
The draw took place in Johannesburg on January 15, when Nedbank also announced that their support of this prestigious event would continue for another five years.
The 32 teams are made up of 16 PSL teams, eight South African Football Association (Safa) teams, and eight National First Division (NFD) teams.
Southern based teams Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits will have home advantage when they take on their respective sides in the first round. Chiefs has drawn Lamontville Golden Arrows, Pirates will take on Ajax Cape Town, while Wits will play Cape Town City at home.
Although, as Kaizer Chiefs head coach Steve Khompela said, “It is not always easy to play at home when you know this is a knock-out situation and anything can happen on the day, but we are pleased to host them [Golden Arrows].”
Current CAF representatives SuperSport United are the defending champions after making history last season by becoming the first club to defend the trophy in the Nedbank Cup era. This was a good send-off for their coach Stuart Baxter, who has joined Bafana Bafana as head coach. New coach Eric Tinkler will have to follow in his footsteps to make it a hat-trick for SuperSport United if they succeed in defending the title once again.
PSL chairman Irvin Khoza said: “It’s a great feeling to be part of a historic occasion where we prolong the marriage between the PSL and Nedbank. It has been an eventful 10 years. Nedbank understands that football is about giving everyone an opportunity in this country to see things differently, but more importantly, when they came in with an education drive to turn the country green, it was one of those experiences that made me understand the value of nature.”
Head of sponsorship and cause marketing at Nedbank, Tobie Badenhorst, said: “The past 10 years of the Nedbank Cup have exceeded all our expectations on and off the field. On the field we have seen lesser-known teams become household names as they upset their more fancied opponents. Off the field, we are money experts who do good by investing in football, the passion of many South Africans. We are committed to getting your money back to you by helping you manage it like never before.”
The overall prize money for the 2018 Nedbank Cup is over R20-million, with the winner guaranteed R7-million while all lower league teams that have qualified for the main draw will receive R100 000.
