WHEN it comes to contrasting fortunes, none could be more visible than those playing themselves out at Wits University football. Look no further for the evidence, it is staring at you eyeball to eyeball.
The Varsity Football and Premier Soccer League sides resemble chalk and cheese. Gavin Hunt’s high-flying big boys are on cloud nine — they’ve completed a double giant-killing act of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates with consummate ease. At Varsity Football level the team which was until last Thursday coached by Karabo Mogudi, are at sixes and sevens, wallowing in morose misery at the bottom of the class.
It is against that backdrop that University of Pretoria look to tonight’s trip to Bidvest Stadium with great anticipation. A house in such complete chaos gives great prospects for a victory for third-placed UP-Tuks for whom maximum points will take them to 11 points. It may not be enough to quench their thirst; to cement a semi-final qualification.
Sixth-placed North West University Mafikeng can spoil UP-Tuks’ party. NWU will move to 10 points should they beat Central University of Technology. And an NWU win in their outstanding clash with Wits will catapult them to 13 points and the much coveted top four finish.
Awaiting Tuks tonight is a Wits side so out of wits they’ve been incapable to claim a single scalp in six rounds of football. Tragic. More woes for Wits came when Mogosi and his assistant Kgabo Ditsebe stepped down.
Asked whether he resigned from his post, Mogosi says “it is more like pushed. One can’t operate in a toxic environment. There were a lot of issues”.
In explaining the poor run of results, he painted a picture of being hamstrung by a combination of factors. “On the field it was a case of being hit by injuries, sometimes not having a proper squad to field on match day. But you know in football, when there’s bad results, it has to fall on the coach,” said Mogosi. He added: “The rules say players must be 25 years or younger, have an academic credit of about 60 points and must pass five subjects to participate.
“Because of those rules we lost crucial members of the squad that helped us qualify. They were ineligible to play because two are over 25, two didn’t get enough credits and three suffered crucial injuries. That basically talks to seven key players out. There was lack of quality and depth in the squad,” Mogosi concluded.
Wits head of football Mark Haskins will take charge of the team for tonight’s clash. He will have his work cut out for him trying to motivate a squad languishing at the tail of the table and deeply entrenched in all manner of trouble.
Tlisane Motaung is aware that underestimating Wits will be suicidal. “Any drop of points might affect us. It is important we get full points. As much as Wits are out of the knockout stages, they have their pride to play for. They have a new coach to impress in Mark Haskins. We need to respect them in spite of all their troubles,” said Motaung.
By Bareng-Batho Kortjaas (BBK)
Sunday Times Sports Editor
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