Being pitted against each other in the Nedbank Cup semifinals is expected to add fuel to the clash between Marumo Gallants and Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila.

TTM won the previous edition of the Nedbank Cup but that was some months after the Venda-based club had sold the club's Premiership status. The new owners renamed the club Marumo Gallants, while TTM reinvented themselves in the second-tier by buying the status of Royal AM which had bought out Bloemfontein Celtic in the DStv Premiership.

So with both TTM and Gallants in the running for the 2022 Ke Yona title, who are really the defending champions of the knockout competition?

Yesterday, Nedbank communications manager Keenan Klizanie revealed they recognise Gallants, aka Bahlabane Ba Ntwa, as the rightful reigning champions.

"Marumo Gallants are considered the defending champions even with what happened with the name change... they're the defending champions because the current owners and players were there when they lifted the trophy. It was just a name change,'' Klizanie told Sowetan yesterday.

But Tshakhuma are not taking the matter lying down, insisting that they are the real defending champions as their coach Lucky Nelukau drew first blood on the matter during his media engagements in Polokwane last week.

Nelukau was Joel Masutha's assistant when TTM beat SuperSport United 1-0 in the first round of last year's Nedbank Cup. Tshakhuma would eventually clinch the cup albeit under the new owner Abram Sello, who replaced Masutha and Nelukau with David Mathebula and Mpho Maleka.

It's history now that Sello renamed the club to Gallants, meaning they're technically the defending champions. 

However, Nelukau doesn't agree: “Marumo... are not the defending champions. If you can read the trophy it’s [written] TTM and we are still TTM, I don’t know why you are talking about Marumo.''

The flamboyant Nelukau was speaking ahead of their last eight game against SuperSport United which they went on to win 3-2 to set-up a semifinal clash with Gallants.

“The team that won the Nedbank Cup [last season] was TTM under our leadership. I’m the one who beat SuperSport when we qualified for the quarterfinals, that’s why I’m saying it’s TTM. They just took over the team, I’m the one who signed those players. I’m the one who was coaching those players.”