adminOrlando Pirates in the Telkom Knockout tournament first round, according to a draw which was conducted in Johannesburg yesterday.
Black Leopards were drawn to play Pirates again having faced the Absa Premiership champions in last season’s Nedbank Cup final but lost 3-1 after a fairy tale run in the knockout tournament where they eased their way to the final then playing in Division One.
This season they met the champions in the opening encounter of the Premiership and lost 2-0 at home in Polokwane.
But it seems the Happy People ghost will always haunt Chidzambwa’s charges with a third meeting in the Cup game pencilled for the weekend of October 21-23.
Last year’s Telkom runners-up Pirates were humiliated by rivals Kaizer Chiefs losing 3-0 in the final at FNB with striker Sthembiso Ngcobo the hero when he netted a brace while Siphiwe Tshabalala added the other goal. The teams which finished in the top eight last season were seeded.
Venues and dates will be determined by the Cup committee but the matches will start in a fortnight.
The final will be played on December 10.
Defending champions Kaizer Chiefs, who kept last December’s trophy having won the Cup thrice, begin their campaign with a tricky away fixture against Platinum Stars while the Zimbabwean flair will be on show when
Gilbert Mapemba and Oscar Machapa’s Moroka Swallows host the Method Mwanjali captained Sundowns.
Telkom KO Draw
(Home team first)
Bidvest Wits v Amazulu; Platinum v Kaizer Chiefs; Orlando Pirates v Black Leopards; Jomo Cosmos v Bloemfontein; SuperSport v Golden Arrows; Moroka Swallows v Mamelodi Sundowns; Santos v Maritzburg; Ajax Cape Town v Free State Stars
Telkom Knockout awards
Goalkeeper of the Tournament: R100 000
Defender of the Tournament: R100 000
Midfielder of the Tournament: R100 000 (must show playmaking)
Top goalscorer: R150 000 (at least 5 goals in the tournament)
Hat-trick in the Final: R100 000 (Simba Marumo remains the only player to do so, in 2006)
Player of the Tournament: R200 000. – Kick Off/Sports Reporter.
Online Reporter