Kaizer Chiefs aiming for Engen Champ of Champs final, says Mathebula

Kaizer Chiefs Under-19 coach David Mathebula says his side are determined to win the Engen Champ of Champs after earning their place in the national tournament.

Amakhosi qualified by winning the Gauteng Engen Knockout Challenge in July. That victory secured their place among the leading youth teams from across South Africa at the competition, which will be held at the University of Pretoria’s High-Performance Centre from 2 to 4 October.

Mathebula says anticipation is growing within the squad as the tournament approaches, with players regularly discussing the challenge during training.

The coach believes the event will provide an important opportunity for Kaizer Chiefs to test themselves against teams from other provinces, while also carrying the responsibility of representing Gauteng.

“We are ready and we’re happy that we’re playing the national,” said Mathebula.

“You look at the likes of Antalyaspor JPM CT FC, we’ve seen that they have been doing well. We’ve seen AmaZulu qualify and we believe the other provinces will bring stronger teams as well.

“So, it’s all about testing ourselves against the best in the other provinces. But yeah, we are ready, the boys are ready.”

The Engen Champ of Champs is played under the slogan “Where Diski Legends Start”. Mathebula says the players’ focus on the tournament is already clear as they prepare for the competition.

“You can hear they’re talking about the Engen most of the time when we are training. But we are ready and we believe we’ll continue to prepare very well, and we’ll do well because we’re representing the province.”

Kaizer Chiefs do not want their qualification to be followed by an underwhelming campaign, with Mathebula setting the team the target of reaching the final.

He added: “We want to go as far as the final and obviously, as I said, they are playing to win. We want to win the Champ of Champs.”