Having won the battle by qualifying for the Nedbank Cup Last 32, Paarl United [Ammar Academy] coach Edward Malunga Fiyaka says his troops are preparing for “war” as they plan to cause a few upsets in the tournament.
Ammar recently added its name to the history books as the club became the first SAFA Cape Winelands team to qualify for the Nedbank Cup round of 32
Fiyaka’s men beat ABC Motsepe League outfit Maties 1-0, with Luko ‘Whitey’ Vakala scoring the all-important goal at the Mbekweni Stadium.
Reacting to the historic victory, which will see the academy go toe-to-toe with the big boys of the PSL in the Nedbank Cup, Fiyaka made it clear that they are eager to make a good impression.
PAARL COACH REACTS TO NEDBANK CUP LAST 32 QUALIFICATION
“There is a lot of excitement from the boys, the management and the chairman. We are more excited about going into the last 32. It was not easy at all, but we pushed, and we will represent the Western Cape,” Fiyaka told SN24.
“We played six games to reach the last 32. We played against teams in our region before beating Maties. They play in the ABC Motsepe League. It was a long process.
“It means a lot to quality for the last 32, and the boys have been playing their hearts out, and I’m proud to be their coach. We need to push more.”
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In his arsenal, Fiyaka has talents like Ammar talisman Babali Katalay, who plays as a defensive midfielder, Fu’aad Ahmed, teenage forward Charles Ezeobi, Odwa Nyulu and Mustapha Stevens.
Fiyaka added: “It is possible (to pull off a few upsets) because I feel that if we can get a fair draw, a good draw, we can do well. We have capabilities and we will respect the team off the field, but I can tell you that there won’t be any respect on the field because we are all equal. We are ready to go to war, we can cause upsets, we can’t wait to go.”
However, the coach said that the academy’s primary goal, which was established in 2020, is to win the Hollywoodbets Regional League, South Africa’s fourth division, to gain promotion to the third-tier league.
The club purchased Paarl United’s status in the regional league, and now they want to play their way into the ABC Motsepe League and, ultimately, the PSL.
“As much as we want to do well in the Nedbank Cup, our ambition as a team is to win the regional league so we can play in the ABC Motsepe League next season,” he said.
“So we are pushing very hard in a way that we want to achieve our goal. We have a lot of games in hand because we are busy playing Nedbank, but we are more committed to reaching our goal, which is ABC Motsepe League, than the professional ranks.”