Fierce rivals Kaizer Chiefs FC and Orlando Pirates FC look set to share the Orlando Stadium changeroom and have some of their players call each other teammates.
The Soweto giants have four players each in the Carling All-Star team’s starting XI, which will face the 2024 Carling Knockout champions on 21 December in Soweto.
The All-Star team – whose starting XI will be made up of five players from the Diski sides and six from the premier division – comprises players from the 15 teams whose names will not be written on the Carling Knockout trophy on 23 November.
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Pirates’ goalkeeper Sipho Chaine leads the polls with over 24 000 votes, followed by Mamelodi Sundowns FC’ Diski star Vincent Mokoena with more than 15 000 votes while the Buccaneers’ Relebohile Mofokeng is in third place with close to 13 000 votes.
Pirates’ quartet in the team features Chaine, Mofokeng, Jabulani Mokone and Thalente Mbatha.
Hlongwane, Aiden McCarthy, Xolani Mcossa and Gaston Sirino represent Amakhosi.
Masandawana, who are still in the Carling Knockout, have three players in the XI. Mokoena, Asekho Tiwani and Sphelele Mkhulise have made the cut.
Should Sundowns win the Carling Knockout, the slot of any player from the Brazillians’ will go to the player with the second most votes behind them in that position.
Sundowns’ Manqoba Mngqithi leads the votes in the champion fans’ choice for the coach of the Carling All-Star.
The top three most popular coaches consist of Pirates’ Jose Riveiro in second place and Chiefs’ Nasreddine Nabi comes in third.
Voting for the All-Star team closes on 10 December.
Champion fans have to purchase a promotional 750ml or 500ml Carling Black Label to vote for their favourite players and coach. To vote, they have to dial *120*660*UNIQUE CODE# and follow the prompts.
The champion fans have made their voices heard throughout the Carling Knockout and leading up to the Carling Black Label Cup by bringing the energy in a tournament that makes the game’s 12th player the MVP.
Champion Beer, Carling Black Label, entrusted the champion fans with the power to select not only the Man of the Match winner in the Carling Knockout and Carling Black Label Cup, but also the Carling All-Star team – including its coach.
The Carling All-Star team will take part in a match that will close the curtain on a tournament dedicated to Fak’uGesi in South African football – turning fantasy football into a reality.
The champion fans continued to appreciate the heroics of Magesi FC goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze, whose brilliance in goal took the giant killers to the final of the Carling Knockout.
The Limpopo side beat Richards Bay 1-0, knocking out last year’s semi-finalists at the same stage in Magesi FC’s first involvement in the competition.
Magesi FC’s win over the Natal Rich Boyz was a continuation of a remarkable run that saw them beat last season’s finalists TS Galaxy in the quarterfinals, and stun cup kings Orlando Pirates FC in the last 16.
Chipezeze excelled in all three games, and the champion fans named him Man of the Match in all three encounters, receiving a combined R300 000.
The Carling Knockout Man of the Match award is the most financially rewarding prize of its kind in the world.
Chipezeze is in line to match Iqraam Rayners’ exploits last season when the then Stellenbosch FC forward was named Man of the Match four times – picking up a R100 000 cheque in each game.
Rayners is now with Sundowns Mamelodi FC, who will take on Magesi FC in the final on 23 November at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.
The Brazilians earned their place in the final by beating Marumo Gallants FC 2-0 on Sunday at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium. Lucas Ribeiro, who opened the scoring with a brilliant penalty, was named Man of the Match.
Ribeiro’s goal took to R200 000 the money raised through the Fak’iGoal Uzobona campaign. The initiative seeks to promote the scoring of early goals, which Fak’uGesi in any football match.
The Fak’iGoal Uzobona purse starts at R90 000 when the match kicks off, and it drops by R1 000 with each passing minute without a goal. The champion fan who correctly predicts the minute of the first goal, and the team that scores it – wins the remaining amount.
The club that scores first also receive the same amount. Ribeiro’s 53rd-minute goal and Tshepo Mashigo’s 27th-minute strike for Magesi FC saw R100 000 won by two champion fans.
The two clubs also received the same amount, with the Brazilians bagging R37 000 and Magesi FC making R63 000.
The final and the Carling Black Label encounter will be the champion fans’ last two chances to participate in the Fak’iGoal Uzobona initiative.
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
Official Hashtag: #CarlingKnockout #CarlingCup
