Dan and Clinton set for emotional reunions after masterminding magical Carling CKO quarter-final wins

Marrumo Gallants, head coach

Dan Malesela’s Marumo Gallants FC danced past defending champions Stellenbosch FC at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium on Sunday to reach the last four.

Siyabulela Shai’s goal gave Gallants a 1-0 win after putting on a gallant fight to deny Stellies from advancing to their sixth successive semi-final. The victory continued a remarkable rise for a team that was campaigning in the first division last season.

“The quarterfinals of the Carling Knockout really showed us what Fak’ uGesi means to the fans and the new arrivals in the premier division,” said Kerryn Greenleaf, Carling Black Label’s brand director. “Those teams outperformed and knocked out giants. What we saw this weekend was amazing and magnificent Diski.”

The Bloemfontein-based side was put together as an amalgamation of Moroka Swallows FC and Gallants players. Malesela then sprinkled some spice to add his unique, enterprising brand of football by signing players like Shai and Xola Mlambo, with whom he has enjoyed good cup runs.

Gallants now have a mountain to climb in the semi-finals when they take on Mamelodi Sundowns FC on Sunday, 10 November at Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium at 3pm, in what will be an emotional reunion for Malesela.

The 59-year-old plied his trade for Sundowns in his playing days, and then went on to coach the club’s juniors in his early years of a coaching career that has seen him polish some rough gems who turned into diamonds that are marvelled at in South African football.

Malesela’s men will have added motivation to get the better of the Brazilians with the same final in their hometown, Bloemfontein.

Their clash with Sundowns, also at the City of Roses, will be a dress rehearsal for the final, as one of them will be back in Bloemfontein on 23 November.

Sundowns earned their place in the semi-finals with a resounding 4-0 win over Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium. The Brazilians produced the biggest win of the last eight, scoring more than half of the six goals that were scored in the last eight.

Even though Richards Bay FC didn’t find the back of the net against Cape Town City FC, they put on a gritty performance to get the better of the Citizens and reach the semi-finals of the Carling Knockout for the second year in a row.

The Natal Rich Boyz won a tight and pulsating penalty shoot-out at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday. They will be back there on Saturday, 9 November hosting the tournament’s surprise package – Magesi FC with kick off at 3pm.

The Limpopo side, who won the first division in May to gain promotion to the premier division, stunned last year’s semi-finalists TS Galaxy in their own backyard.

Magesi FC, who have truly embodied the tournament’s spirit of Fak’ uGesi, brought the energy to Mbombela Stadium to shock The Rockets with a 1-0 win. The victory will see Clinton Larsen make an emotional return to Durban, where he began his career as a player with Manning Rangers.

Larsen made close to 300 appearances for the Mighty Maulers and was part of the biggest shock in the history of South African football when Rangers won the league in 1996. Twenty-eight years later, he could mastermind another remarkable win as his Magesi giant killers are just two games away from being champions.

Clinton Larsen Magesi FM

That would be a remarkable turn of events after Larsen found the team fighting to avoid relegation when they recruited him while coaching Durban’s Summerfield Dynamos in the amateur ranks. "We gave away R400 000 prize money for the Man of the Match awards, voted for solely by the fans,” said Greenleaf. “We also gave away over R300,000 in Fak iGoal Uzobona. As we look towards the semi-finals and final, we have some interesting matchups.”

“We have young and exciting players at Magesi FC – who went all the way to the semi-finals by first knocking out Orlando Pirates and then TS Galaxy in the quarterfinals.”

Larsen’s Magesi have been a hit with the champion fans, who once again voted for their goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze as Man of the Match after his solid display in goal against Galaxy. This was Chipezeze’s second Man of the Match award, pocketing another R100,000 in one of the most financially rewarding player of the game prize in world football.

Champion beer Carling Black Label entrusted the big responsibility of selecting the Man of the Match to the game’s key stakeholders – the champion fans, whose electric energy powers the beautiful game. They have made astute decisions in selecting the deserving winners – from Sundowns’ Iqraam Rayners to Jaeden Rhodes of The Citizens and Gallants’ Shai.

More than 30,000 votes were cast to select the Man of the Match. The champion fans who voted, dialled *120*660# and followed the prompts.

Fak’ iGoal Uzobona, which translates to Score a Goal and You Will See, continues to be a hit with champion fans. More than 129,000 votes were cast by champion fans looking to correctly predict the minute the first goal would be scored and by each team.

The initiative is a win-win-win situation, seeking to promote early goals that Fak’ uGesi to the matches, while rewarding the champion fans who power the game and the club that gets the fans going first in the Carling Knockout. Rayners scored the fastest goal of the round, which came just after 14 minutes. Shai’s goal for Gallants came three minutes later than Raynes’ strike while Lehlegonolo Mokone found the back of the net on the 44th minute for Magesi FC.

Through their goals, R390 000 was raised – with half of that going to champion fans with the other half going to the clubs that scored first.

Fak’iGoal Uzobona, puts R90,000 up for grabs when the match starts, and with each passing minute – R1 000 is removed from the purse. The champion fan who correctly predicts the minute of the first goal, and the team, pockets the remaining amount.

Carling Black Label then matches it to also award it to the club that scored the opening goals. The teams whose clubs have been knocked out still have a role to play in the competition.

The champion fans can select from those teams the players they want to see feature in the Carling Black Label Cup on 21 December at Orlando Stadium against the winners of the Carling Knockout. To vote, champion fans must purchase a promo 750ml or 500ml Carling Black Label and dial *120*660*UNIQUE CODE#.

Voting will close on 10 December. The starting XI of the Carling All-Star team will be made up of six players from the premier division clubs and five from the Diski Challenge teams. “We urge fans to Fak' uGesi all the way to the stadium because you can only feel the energy if the teams have the support of the fans,” said Greenleaf. “We urge them to continue engaging with the campaign. Your voice can still be heard, by voting for Fak' iGoal Uzobona per game, and by selecting players from the teams that have been knocked out to be part of the Carling All-Star team. It's fantasy football, in reality."

To stay up to date with any further announcements, champion fans should check the official brand website and social media pages:

Website: www.carlingblacklabelcup.co.za | USSD: *120*660# (USSD 20c/20s) Ts&Cs apply | Twitter: @blacklabelsa | Facebook: @Carling Black Label | Instagram: @carlingblacklabel | Hashtag: #CarlingKnockout #CarlingCup