Tricky Chiefs clash awaits Stars

It was a wintry early August evening and the venue was packed with Free State Stars players dressed in immaculate suits and in a jolly good mood reminiscent of the festive season which is now upon us.

Then, as he delivered his speech, Rantsi Mokoena stunned all and sundry: “Our mandate for this season is to challenge for the league.”

The place went quiet for a moment, but later, the neutrals present simply laughed off Mokoena’s statement as hollow talk.

Those of us who posted his comments on Twitter were asked: “Are you serious? Did he really say that?”

The occasion was the Free State Stars awards four months ago, when the club’s general manager told Steve Komphela, the coach, that it is expected that his men should be somewhere near the top of the Absa Premiership table at the end of this campaign.

For a team who had finished outside the top eight last season, ninth to be exact, setting such a lofty target was always going to be seen as nothing but delusional reverie.

Yet, 13 matches into the season, and Ea Lla Koto have shown promise that their dream could be a reality. They are placed third in the standings and, without a doubt, have become one of the most difficult teams to beat.

They could be even higher, were it not for some dubious refereeing decisions which robbed them of certain victories. “When I made those comments (at the awards dinner), I had absolute confidence in the team. For the first time in our history, we spent a lot of money on new players, so naturally I expected that they would show us why we paid so much for them. And they are all good players,” Mokoena said this week.

That Stars have amassed 24 points from 13 matches has caught a lot of people off-guard, with some openly admitting to have been surprised by their progress.

“People are surprised, but we at the club are not. We expected this,” Mokoena said.

“We recruited well … men such as (Oluwafemi) Gege from Nigeria, Katlego Mashego from Baroka FC and Ayanda Gcaba have boosted us. We have a good, experienced team. Kennedy Mweene is one of the top goalkeepers in the country. It’s a pity that some people say they are surprised to see us where we are.”

These people have not watched Stars even once this season, according to Mokoena, and, he added, include Kaizer Chiefs coach Vladimir Vermezovic, whose team host Ea Lla Koto at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

“I was shocked to hear V V (the Chiefs coach) saying we play long balls. Clearly, he hasn’t watched us. Yes, we did play long balls when we played them in Polokwane last season. It seems that was the last time he saw us play. We have changed from that. It is ridiculous for anyone to claim we are playing long balls.”

Something which also irks Mokoena is the media coverage Ea Lla Koto have received for their ascendancy this season.

“We have hardly got any coverage, that’s why people claim they are surprised. And if we get it, it’s mostly negative.

“We hear things like we have been ‘lucky’ to be in this position, or that it’s been a ‘fluke’. From a brand and commercial point of view, this is not helpful as it belittles our progress.

“But it works to our advantage that opponents do not know a lot about us. They have never bothered to check even the names of our players,” he said.

Stars’ title credentials face a tough test against Amakhosi, where the Free State side will be looking for at least a point to keep in touch with the championship chasers whose party they have gate-crashed. They conclude the first round with a clash against Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday.

“These so-called big teams do not worry us as it is always easy to play against them. Every player is motivated for such a match. But it’s difficult when you’re up against Golden Arrows, Santos or Maritzburg United because there’s no hype around those games.

“We should be able to play well against Chiefs. Of course, it’s a tricky, away game. On their day, Chiefs can slaughter any team. But I believe our players will rise to the occasion.” – Saturday Star