Masokolara plan to derail Macufe Cup
Celtic fans unhappy about Royal's presence in Bloem
Image: Gallo Images
Aggrieved supporters of Bloemfontein Celtic, which lost its premier league status when the club was sold last year, are planning an event to upstage the Macufe Cup to be played by Kaizer Chiefs and Royal AM at Free State Stadium on Sunday (3pm).
Celtic's national supporters chairperson Mabena Pule told Sowetan yesterday they're mobilising the football fans across Free State to boycott the Macufe Cup and attend their syncronised picnic at Masenkeng Stadium. The Siwelele faithful have not taken kindly to the involvement of Royal, the side which bought Celtic's status.
"We feel we're being insulted by the organisers to invite Royal to come and play Macufe Cup. We don't want to find ourselves near the stadium because we don't want anything that would associate us with Royal after they took our team to KZN. We have decided to have a picnic at Masenkeng Stadium at the same time on Sunday,'' Pule said yesterday.
"We're mobilising the people of Bloemfontein to come to our event, a picnic, and boycott Macufe because we're being disrespected. We will be having our branches' soccer teams playing there. Chiefs and Royal will get an appearance fee which they take back to their provinces, so how should we be there when the people of Free State won't benefit? Our soccer loving people in Free State must open their eyes and not go there."
Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung was reluctant to be drawn into these developments, insisting Amakhosi have respected the invitation to Macufe Cup.
"We're not running the Macufe Cup but we're just invited, so we have nothing to do with what the Celtic fans are planning. We're not affected,'' Motaung told Sowetan yesterday.
Attempts to reach Royal owner Shauwn Mkhize drew blanks as she didn't answer his phone. Macufe's chief organiser Ban Mosene has no doubt that their event will be a success, labelling the Celtic fans who've organised a picnic as a "small group of disgruntled people".
"We've got Celtic legends on our side. They'll play in a curtain-raiser game against Free State Stars legends in the morning. The event will be a success as it has always been. We're not concerned about a small group of disgruntled people,'' Mosene explained.
Since its inception, the Macufe Cup had always been an exhibition fixture between Celtic and Chiefs.