Kruger United concerned FIFA break could halt revival before Mamelodi Sundowns test

Kruger United fear the upcoming FIFA international break may interrupt their improved form after a run of three wins in five Betway Premiership matches lifted them to ninth.

The Village Boys went into the break on the back of a 3-1 home victory against Richards Bay, their latest positive result under manager Abram Mongoya.

However, sporting director Elasto Kapowezha said the interruption had arrived at an awkward time for the team, with limited opportunities to arrange suitable preparation matches in Mpumalanga.

“I don’t know if there’s anyone who has actually figured out that a season break works well for the team that is winning or works badly,” Kapowezha told Soccer Laduma.

He said Kruger United faced a particular challenge because there are relatively few professional teams from the Premier Soccer League in the province available to play against during the break.

“It’s a bit of a disadvantage for us in the sense that we don’t have so many professional teams within the PSL in Mpumalanga that you can be able to play friendly games with. So you have to go out there and try to seek friendly matches, yeah, something which of course becomes a challenge,” he said.

“We have The Bees and you can’t play the same team 10 times in friendlies! The break is something that could break your momentum at a time when we had just gotten some good results,” he added.

Kapowezha acknowledged that the club had no choice but to use the period constructively rather than dwell on the potential impact of the break.

“So, yeah, we are looking forward to it. It’s no use for us to cry over it, but it’s just to make sure that, yes, we find how we can positively approach any FIFA break or any lengthy break that comes,” he said.

He later reiterated that the absence of a friendly fixture would not prevent Kruger United from working on other areas of their preparations.

“We can’t be negative about it. If there are no friendly games, there are other aspects of the team that you can actually deal with during the break, and that is what we do. We look at it in a positive way,” said Kapowedza.

Kruger United will resume their Betway Premiership campaign on November 28, when they host Mamelodi Sundowns at Mbombela Stadium.