Pressure on Pirates in Cup final

SPORT Klub Windhoek (SKW) have nothing to lose when they go into battle against Katutura heavyweights Orlando Pirates in the NFA Cup final at the Independence Stadium on Saturday.

Kick-off is at 16h00. SKW, who beat Pirates 1-0 to survive relegation from the MTC Namibia Premier League (NPL) last weekend, argue that the pressure will be on Pirates and not them.Captain Rolf Beiter told The Namibian Sport yesterday that his team is very relaxed ahead of this encounter, compared to the match last weekend.”The mood in the camp is good and the players appear very relaxed and don’t seem tense or concerned about the encounter.Despite this, they are focused and will go into the match like another other game and get a winning result,” he said.Beiter added that ahead of the match last weekend, the players were nervous, but they knew that it was a fight for survival.”They did the club, supporters and themselves proud on that day,” he said.He said although SKW also have to win the cup for their supporters, they are confident of their form and will do their best on the day.He said Pirates would have to soak up the pressure, as their supporters would now demand them to win the trophy after they tasted no victory in cup competitions this year.Pirates ended fourth in the premiership this season, while SKW stayed clear from being chopped in tenth spot.Two teams were dropped from a league of 12.Pirates won their last trophy in 2002 when they beat Tigers in the NFA Cup final in Rundu, while SKW will be making their debut final in the most prestigious competition in the country.SKW earlier this year played in the semi-final of the FNB Cup against African Stars, which they lost, after a successful path that saw them beating stronger opponents shortly after they were promoted.SKW this year demonstrated that with the support of their loyal fans who attend almost all their matches, they will not be the whipping boys of the premiership, let alone the cup competitions.Pirates, with their illustrious history since its formation in 1963, are expected to win the NFA Cup to revive their winning culture.Pirates have long been in the shadow of teams such as Ramblers and Civics and their true mettle is often shown when they engage their arch-rivals Black Africa.In the first leg of the league, Pirates were shamelessly blasted 5-0 by the ‘Lively Lions’, while in the second leg they managed to settle the score with a 0-0 draw.Pirates will be expected to live up to their status as one of the oldest teams in the country, while they would also want to leave their supporters with something to boast about.Even if SKW do not lift the trophy, the runners-up spot will see them getting a handsome reward of N$130 000.Beiter said Lucky Kakuva would captain the side on Saturday as he will be out with an injury, while Marco van Wyk and Henry Somseb are also doubtful.Somseb is suffering from a hamstring problem, while Van Wyk has an injured ankle.The NFA Cup carries a price tag of N$350 000 for the winner, the biggest that has been forked out by a single company towards football to date.Namibia Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) has pumped close to N$1 million into the competition and will run competitions for spectators at the stadium on match day.SKW, who beat Pirates 1-0 to survive relegation from the MTC Namibia Premier League (NPL) last weekend, argue that the pressure will be on Pirates and not them.Captain Rolf Beiter told The Namibian Sport yesterday that his team is very relaxed ahead of this encounter, compared to the match last weekend.”The mood in the camp is good and the players appear very relaxed and don’t seem tense or concerned about the encounter.Despite this, they are focused and will go into the match like another other game and get a winning result,” he said.Beiter added that ahead of the match last weekend, the players were nervous, but they knew that it was a fight for survival.”They did the club, supporters and themselves proud on that day,” he said.He said although SKW also have to win the cup for their supporters, they are confident of their form and will do their best on the day.He said Pirates would have to soak up the pressure, as their supporters would now demand them to win the trophy after they tasted no victory in cup competitions this year.Pirates ended fourth in the premiership this season, while SKW stayed clear from being chopped in tenth spot.Two teams were dropped from a league of 12.Pirates won their last trophy in 2002 when they beat Tigers in the NFA Cup final in Rundu, while SKW will be making their debut final in the most prestigious competition in the country.SKW earlier this year played in the semi-final of the FNB Cup against African Stars, which they lost, after a successful path that saw them beating stronger opponents shortly after they were promoted.SKW this year demonstrated that with the support of their loyal fans who attend almost all their matches, they will not be the whipping boys of the premiership, let alone the cup competitions.Pirates, with their illustrious history since its formation in 1963, are expected to win the NFA Cup to revive their winning culture.Pirates have long been in the shadow of teams such as Ramblers and Civics and their true mettle is often shown when they engage their arch-rivals Black Africa.In the first leg of the league, Pirates were shamelessly blasted 5-0 by the ‘Lively Lions’, while in the second leg they managed to settle the score with a 0-0 draw.Pirates will be expected to live up to their status as one of the oldest teams in the country, while they would also want to leave their supporters with something to boast about.Even if SKW do not lift the trophy, the runners-up spot will see them getting a handsome reward of N$130 000.Beiter said Lucky Kakuva would captain the side on Saturday as he will be out with an injury, while Marco van Wyk and Henry Somseb are also doubtful.Somseb is suffering from a hamstring problem, while Van Wyk has an injured ankle.The NFA Cup carries a price tag of N$350 000 for the winner, the biggest that has been forked out by a single company towards football to date.Namibia Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) has pumped close to N$1 million into the competition and will run competitions for spectators at the stadium on match day.