SA's top eight teams square up
13 August 2004
The SAA Supa 8 knockout competition, a tournament that involves the top eight Premier Soccer League teams from the previous season, kicks off this weekend without the holders.
Last season's winners Jomo Cosmos failed to secure a place in the top eight in the 2003-2004 season, finishing in 12th position, thereby disqualifying them from participating in the lucrative competition.
SAA has increased the prize money for this season's tournament to a total of R3.7-million. The 2004 SAA Supa 8 champions, when crowned on 2 October, will be R1.3-million richer. The runners-up will pocket R750 000, while the losing semifinalists will each earn R430 000, and the four quarterfinal losers will each get R220 000.
In the opening matches, Moroka Swallows, the tournament's runners-up last year, play Ajax Cape Town at the Rand stadium in Johannesburg on 14 August, while SuperSport United take on Santos in Pretoria on 15 August.
The game between Wits
University, who finished fifth on the log, and Orlando Pirates has been rescheduled for 22 August at Bidvest stadium in Johannesburg, as Pirates will be in Cameroon this weekend for a Champions League game.
2003-2004 league champions Kaizer Chiefs travel to Limpopo to face Black Leopards on 21 August.
The increase in prize-money "will fuel enthusiasm for all involved - the players, the spectators, the fans at home and, more generally, the South African public as interest and awareness in the game that will put South Africa on the global football stage in 2010 grows", said SAA deputy chief executive Oyama Mabandla.
Mabandla added that SAA would transport 100 youngster to each Supa 8 game.
"We are pulling out all the stops", he said, adding that there would be travel packages designed for fans to follow their teams.
SAA is also sponsoring match and tournament awards for "the Ndizani Moment", man of the match, top goal scorer, player of the tournament, and
coach of the tournament.
The fixtures
14 August
Moroka Swallows v Ajax Cape Town
Rand stadium, Johannesburg
15 August
SuperSport United v Santos
Loftus stadium, Pretoria
21 August
Black Leopards v Kaizer Chiefs
Giyani stadium, Limpopo
22 August
Wits University v Orlando Pirates
Bidvest stadium, Johannesburg
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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