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15 January 2020
Nedbank Cup Last 32 side Passion FC are breaking new ground in the Carolina community in Mpumalanga that has been starved of football and hope a run in South Africa’s most prestigious knockout competition will win them even more fans. The club will host second-tier Real Kings in the Last 32 and as an unknown quantity with lofty ambitions, may well see it as an opportunity to get into the second round and draw one of the country’s elite sides. Club CEO TL Mudau says they have made remarkable strides since their formation in 2018, and have big plans for the future. “The area where we stay is very rural and we looked into the projects we were doing in the community, which is trying to get young people off the streets,” he says.
“And we found, not surprisingly, that the big interest of many was football. So we decided to put in place structures to make people realise that this is a serious project that can grow bigger.” Passion FC are debuting in the ABC Motsepe League this season, and have on board players such as former Black Leopards and Chippa United forward Bafana Sibeko. “We started in the SAB Regional League, but we wanted to create this pathway for young players, showing them that we can move into the ABC Motsepe League, then the GladAfrica Championship. “We started bringing in experienced football people, who the community had only previously seen on television, like former Kaizer Chiefs player Frank Makua as technical director.
“We saw immediately that people really took to this project, the response was fantastic. Then the opportunity came to buy an ABC Motsepe League status and here we are, now in the Last 32 of the Nedbank Cup. “We are very ambitious, our dream is that by 2022 we will already in the Premier League.” Maudu says that many at the club have been surprised at how quickly the community has taken to them. “They have embraced it and to be honest it came as a shock to us. You must understand that in the area we come from, there has never been a club like this before. You should see our home games, it is sky blue all the way!” The club has a ‘Manchester City’ feel to it with their team colours and badge, which is very similar. “We are inspired to be as great a club as Manchester City, but it is more about our chairman [Brandon Tshabangu] being a massive fan of City!” Mudau says.
He adds that they feel they have a good chance in the Last 32 against Kings. “We are very happy because we are home. We will get the people of Mpumalanga to rally around Passion FC. We have got a chance there.”
*The views represented are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of Nedbank.