Former Mamelodi Sundowns star Dan Malesela twice won the Nedbank Cup competition as a player – and produced a remarkable feat in leading National First Division side United FC to the semi-finals of the competition in 2013 when they narrowly lost 2-1 to eventual winners Kaizer Chiefs.
His achievements as a player came with Orlando Pirates in 1998, and then again with this year’s Last 4 competitors Sundowns in 1998, where he was a stalwart of the side. Malesela sees plenty of talent in the current Sundowns squad, so much so that he feels coach Pitso Mosimane has plenty of selection headaches.
“It is a big squad with lots of talent, he is still trying new combinations to find his best pairings,” Malesela says. “But this is a team that can dominate the opposition, though teams also seem to raise their game to play against them.”
The Nedbank Cup semi-finals will be played on the weekend of 25 and 26 April with Mamelodi at home against Vasco Da Gama while Ajax Cape Town will have home advantage against Supersport United. Venues and kick-off times will be confirmed in due course.
The Nedbank Cup continues to make things that really matter happen for sports development. During the current campaign, R 1 million is being dispersed for soccer kits and training equipment for 100 schools across the country.
Another R 1 million is being used to build a Multi-Purpose Sports Court for a school in partnership with the Sports Trust.
In addition, this weekend will see the start of the third season of the Nedbank Ke Yona Team search which has been a springboard to a number of youngsters who are now making a name for themselves at various clubs.
Players between the ages of 18 and 25 in possession of a valid South African ID can make their dreams happen by simply dialling *120*KEYONA# or *120*539662# and following the easy steps to enter.
Successful applicants are reminded to bring their Identity Documents when coming to the stadium for the trials.
Nedbank Ke Yona Team Search Dates:
Mpumalanga, Mbombela Stadium
01 April 2015
18 April 2015
08:00 – 17:00
Free State, Free State Stadium
07 April 2015
27 April 2015
08:00 – 17:00
Eastern Cape, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
10 April 2015
01 May 2015
08:00 – 17:00
KwaZulu-Natal, King Zwelithini Stadium
17 April 2015
03 May 2015
08:00 – 17:00
Western Cape, Athlone Stadium
05 May 2015
23 May 2015
08:00 – 17:00
Gauteng, Rand Stadium
11 May 2015
30 May 2015
08:00 – 17:00
Twitter: #NedbankCup & @NedbankSport
Facebook: NedbankSport
Hashtag: #ThingsThatReallyMatter / #TTRM
