Kaizer Chiefs’ clash with Maritzburg United in the semi-finals of the Telkom Knockout will be played at Mbombela Stadium.
The Premier Soccer League confirmed the dates and venues for the last four this afternoon.
Amakhosi’s match against The Team of Choice has been scheduled for Sunday, November 24. Kick off time is 15:00.
The quest for a spot in the #TKO2019Final will begin on Saturday, November 23 when Golden Arrows host Mamelodi Sundowns at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.
Abafana Bes’thende will be aiming to reach their first ever Telkom Knockout final, while the Brazilians will be hoping to qualify for their first final since winning the competition in 2015. Kick-off will also be at 15h00.
Golden Arrows coach Steve Komphela says a 2019 Telkom Knockout Final against neighbours Maritzburg United would be a dream final for the people of KwaZulu Natal.
Both Abafana Bes’thende and the Team of Choice have progressed through to the quarterfinals of the tournament after wins against Polokwane City and Bidvest Wits respectively.
With the quarterfinal draw set for tonight and both teams unseeded, they will avoid each other for now.
“It’s anybody’s game and you know how football is. It would be nice for Eric (Tinkler) or ourselves to go through. Listen when you are in the semifinals sometimes luck works so let’s go through the quarterfinals first and see how far we go. Take it one step at a time but it would be great,” said Komphela.
“Can you dream of a final between Maritzburg and Arrows? It would be nice why can’t it be? Listen dreams do come true and also for our people in KZN. One thing I like about the people in KZN is their love for sport but sometimes sport does not complement the love they give to it.”
“I have been in different provinces, whether it’s Gauteng (with Kaizer Chiefs), whether it’s Free State (at both Free State Stars and Bloemfontein Celtic), but KZN has got a passion for sports.
“KZN uses sports to develop people, the kind of work they do, you will realise that these people want to do something. And when that happens you would want to complement the love that these people have for sport. We wish Maritzburg the best of luck, but Arrows should also have that bit of luck,” he added.
The Telkom Knockout quarterfinal draw will be conducted tonight at Sisa Dukashe Stadium after the match between Chippa United and Bloemfontein Celtic.
The quarterfinal draw is seeded with clubs that achieved highest four positions in the Absa Premiership 2018/19 season seeded while the rest will be unseeded.
There are reports that two Golden Arrows players were asked by referee Jelly Chavani to remove isiphandla (an ancestral animal skin armlet) before their Telkom Knockout last 16 win against Polokwane City at the weekend.
This allegedly happened at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium, where Abafana Bes’thende won 1-0 to advance to the last eight.
It would appear that Chavani was unfair to Siyabonga Dube and Sibusiso Sibeko, because it’s assumed that the two players’ pleas fell on deaf ears.
Sibusiso Sibeko is one of the players who was asked to take off isiphandla.
But according to FIFA’s Laws of the Game, Chavani was spot on in demanding they remove isiphandla.
According to Law 4 (1) of the FIFA Laws of the Game 2019/2020, “a player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous. All items of jewellery (necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, leather bands, rubber bands, etc.) are forbidden and must be removed.
“Using tape to cover jewellery is not permitted. If a player is wearing or using unauthorised/dangerous equipment or jewellery, the referee must order the player to remove the item or leave the field of play at the next stoppage if the player is unable or unwilling to comply.”
Isiphandla is regarded as jewellery under Law 4(1) and therefore not permitted.
Golden Arrows coach Steve Komphela has lashed out at referee Jelly Chavani for what he refers to as sheer arrogance and disrespect to the elders.
Chavani was in charge when Abafana Bes’thende defeated Polokwane City 1-0 in the Telkom Knockout encounter at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on Saturday.
Besides Komphelas run-in with referee Chavani, Arrows were celebrating at fulltime.
But things got hostile when Komphela reacted to what looked like a foul against the opposition. The 23-year-old referee did not take kindly to Komphela’s reaction issuing him with a yellow card and asking him to get into the field to officiate himself.
“No, bebengi delela (he was disrespecting me). I gave (my assistant) Mandla (Ncikazi) problems today.
“I am sure Mandla is tired not only from watching the match, it was more of a Viktor Bondarenko situation. You remember Bondarenko at (Moroka) Swallows? They used to hold him and drag him (from arguing with match officials) and I am not that kind of person,” stated Komphela.
“But when an official comes to you and ask if you want a whistle. Listen, when a foul happens it is natural that we scream but if he asks if we want a whistle that’s sheer arrogance and I cannot accept arrogance. Arrogance is disrespect, I just wanted to put that across to him and even when he gave me a yellow card it was at the back of that.
Referee Jelly Chavani who got into Komphela’s bad books.
“Now I am saying to the youngster, he just came back from MDC (Multichoice Diski Challenge). This guy has been doing MDC matches,” Komphela continued.
“Listen, we don’t want to come out and sound arrogant, but we have been here for so long and we have interacted with top referees and they have respected us. You can’t come here and want to bully us; we want him to grow but his growth must not be at the expense of riding on our backs and scratching on our backs. How old is this guy? 20? 20-something? He is a kid and he must respect people.”
There have also been media reports that before the match, Chavani forced right-back Siyabonga Dube and striker Sibusiso Sibeko to cut off their iziphandla (ancestral goat-skin armlet) even after the pair’s plea with him to cover them.
