Cape Town - As Cape Town City embark on their opening match, in their debut season in the PSL, the Mother City is likely to be taken on an emotional ride into our divided past. Most definitely, there will be a bitter-sweet tinge of nostalgia.
The Cape’s new top-flight club springs into action Tuesday when it hosts Polokwane City at the Cape Town Stadium (kickoff 7.30pm). While there is much interest in how the team fares, and how the region’s football followers respond to the new entity, there is just as much history attached to the rejuvenation of the name, Cape Town City.
There’s an adage that suggests, “If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday”. And, symbolically, so much of who we are, where we come from and, ultimately, where we are heading, is intertwined in this football club.
Back in the 1970s, during the height of segregation, when football was played under a racial banner, City dominated the white-aligned National Football League. Crowds flocked to Hartleyvale in Observatory to watch the Cape side play some attractive, entertaining football. Coached by the charismatic Frank Lord and inspired by players like Frank “Jingles” Pereira, Gary France, Benjamin “Big Ben” Anderson, Sir Geoff Hurst, Ken Scott, Willy Hunter and Terry Gulliver (to name a few), City were the toast of the Cape. But, in keeping with the zeitgeist of the era, the rest of Cape Town’s football was, of course, neglected and ignored.
Fast forward to 2016 and the memories of times-gone-by are immediately reawakened. But, now that the bitter days of segregated football are over, the new City encapsulates the sweet future of a football club able to draw on all sectors, all races, for the compilation of its squad. And, it’s based on this, that City are hoping to capture the hearts of Capetonians. Already, as part of their commitment to bridging the past, the club has honoured 30 legends of the game with life-time season tickets and VIP status. They include former greats from all neighbourhoods of the city, like Abe Wymers, Boebie Solomons, Coenie Stuurman, Vince Belgiums, Thabo Mngomeni, Sabelo Peter, France, Anderson, Tony Lupton, and Wilf de Bruyn, among others. The vision is to shake off the apartheid yolk and usher in a new, vibrant City, a club with cross-cultural appeal.
But history is just that - history. For City, the name will only attract and engage for a while. Once the glow fades, the team will have only its on-field performances as the measure by which it will be judged. And that is why Tuesday’s opening encounter against Polokwane is of such great significance to City. It’s an opportunity to build on what they have done off the field since the formation of the team. Now is the time; this is the moment...
The squad has the foundation of the 14 players retained from Mpumalanga Black Aces last season.
Aces ended in a lofty fourth position and City will draw on the quality and flair of players like Lebogang Manyama (who will captain the team), Aubrey Modiba, Bhongolwethu Jayiya and Aubrey Ngoma, while the defensive solidity will be provided by Vincent Kobola, Tshepo Gumede (signed from Orlando Pirates), the experience of Robyn Johannes and Ghanaian Joseph Adjei.
Much is expected from striker Lehlohonolo Majoro, also captured from Pirates earlier this month, while there are also a few promising young Capetonians City are introducing to the big stage this season, including Duncan Adonis, Never Ngcuka, Ebrahim Seedat, Shaquille Abrahams and Samora Motloung.
In fact, with experienced goalkeeper Shu-Aib Walters suspended for Tuesday’s opening fixture, 21-year-old Motloung will don the No 1 jersey.
And, just as intriguing, from a spectator point of view, as City embark on their debut PSL adventure, is to see how their new foreign legion - Austrian Roland Putsche, Australians Matt Sim and James Brown, Latvian Renars Rode and Ghanaian Adjei - adapt to football in South Africa.
City coach Eric Tinkler is fully aware of the challenge ahead: “The aim is to get the team to play attractive football. But we also know that the team has to win.Results are important, because people only support a winning team.
“We want to grow this team, build this club, and get people to the ground - and, for that, we have to perform.”
When City take the field on Tuesday, they will have brought the city full circle: From the dark days of football in an oppressed society, through the unification of the sport, to the vast potential residing deep within the bosom of this country.
Cape Argus