CAPE TOWN - Premier Soccer League legend Edries Burton may be disappointed to see the demise of Ajax Cape Town, but believes the re-launch of Cape Town Spurs could just be the “rebirth of a sleeping giant” and the tonic needed to reignite football in the Mother City.
GladAfrica Championship side Ajax CT, who were the product of a Seven Stars and CT Spurs merger back in 1999, ended their 21-year association with Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam last month with the local owners confirming their acquisition of the 51% majority stake held by their European partners.
Due to the takeover, the club has rebranded and gone full circle by launching the new CT Spurs logo after the name was approved by the Premier Soccer League on Thursday.
“Ajax CT has become one of the most respected brands in local football. It was very disappointing to see them get relegated a couple of years back, but we saw the quality they showed last season and should have gained promotion having led the league (GladAfrica Championship) by so many points prior to the Covid-19 break. Their professionalism and ability to identify and harness young talent was integral not only for Cape Town, but for South African football. Their closure is therefore a massive loss for South African football,” said Burton, who holds the record for the most PSL appearances.
“However, with it being Heritage Month just a month ago, it is hard not to become nostalgic now that Cape Town Spurs are back on the football map. Spurs’ legacy is impossible to ignore. Everything we achieved was on the back of the hard work put in by the legends before us such as Bernard ‘Dancing Shoes’ Hartze and many others. There are so many that can relate to Spurs from generations spanning many, many years and it will be interesting to see how this new crop carries Spurs’ flag. It could be the rebirth of a sleeping giant.”
Although the majority of South African football followers will fondly remember Burton’s tough-tackling at the heart of the Santos defence when he led the humble Lansdowne-based club to the BobSave Cup (2000/01), PSL League title (2001/02), BP Top Eight Cup (2002) and Absa Cup (2002/03) trophies, it was at CT Spurs where the 51-year-old first rose to prominence.
Burton was an integral part of Mich d'Avray’s Spurs team that won the league and cup “double” in 1995, with the core of the squad going on to represent Bafana Bafana with distinction.
“Those were unbelievable times. We went toe-to-toe with the Soweto giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs during the early 90s. We finished second in 1994, only due to a boardroom decision to Pirates who went on to win the African Champions League the next year. The following year we were not going to be denied,” Burton said.
“We had a huge amount of talent spread across the team. Andre Arendse was in goal. David Nyathi at the back. Sean Bartlett upfront. Even a young Benni McCarthy played a couple of games for us in that 1995 year. These guys are all Bafana legends and held the Spurs flag flying high.”
Does Burton believe the “2020” Spurs can rejoin the big boys in the PSL?
“I definitely think they have the potential. Ajax were extremely unlucky last season. It will, though, be interesting to see if they still have the same resources available,” he said.
“Ikamva (Ajax CT’s training base) was an incredible place to nurture talent and we will have to wait and see if they are able to attract the same quality of youngsters that have come through their system in recent years. But I am confident the Ari (Efstathiou) and the rest of the owners will do their best to maintain the high standards they have set.”
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