The Carling Knockout’s last 16 action brought a lightning bolt of energy, sparking massive interest in the tournament that promises to Fak’uGesi – which translates to bring the energy.
The 16 premier division clubs involved in the Carling Knockout – which is powered by Champion Beer, Carling Black Label, and driven by champion fans – lived up to the tournament’s slogan by electrifying South African football with thrilling contests that were filled with goals.
“Carling Black Label vowed to Fak’ uGesi, with the Carling Knockout, and the round of last 16 showed just that. The 27 goals scored were a true display of vibrant football.” said Kerryn Greenleaf, Carling Black Label’s Brand Director.
Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, who will square off against each other in the quarterfinals, contributed nine of those 27 goals.
The brilliant Brazilians beat Golden Arrows 5-0 on Saturday at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, while the confident Chiefs cruised past SuperSport United 4-0 at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on the same day – in front of close to 25 000 entertained champion fans.
Those goals were inspired by the Fak’ iGoal Uzobona initiative, which loosely translates to “Score a Goal, and You Will See”.
The campaign was a hit with both champion fans and clubs. Close to 90 000 votes were made, and there were plenty of goals scored early – including in the ninth minute by Polokwane City’s Hayisi Chauke.
Thanks to Chauke, the Polokwane side pocketed R81 000, and so did the champion fan with winning match code M6447002 who correctly predicted the minute of the goal by dialling *120*660# and following the prompts.
“Through the Fak’ iGoal Uzobona initiative, which seeks to drive early goals, we gave away R860 000 in total to both the champion fans and the clubs that scored the first goals in the round of 16 matches,” said Greenleaf.
“R430 000 of that money went to the champion fans, and the other R430 000 went to the clubs.”
The initiative is centred around pushing clubs to score early, while rewarding champion fans who correctly predict the minute of the first goal in each match.
The games start with R90 000 up for grabs, and for every minute that passes without a goal – the prize money drops by R1 000.
“We saw a big upset, Magesi FC knocking out the giants in Orlando Pirates at home,” said Greenleaf.
“Magesi FC walked away with both the Man of the Match award that was awarded to their goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze and the club received the Fak’ iGoal Uzobona reward for scoring the first goal of the match.”
“This shows the dynamism and excitement of a knockout because we don’t know what is going to happen. We saw just that in the last 16.”
“We are looking forward to the quarterfinals. We’ve got some epic battles there, so we urge our champion fans and the clubs to continue to Fak’ uGesi into the next round.”
The last Man of the Match recipients, voted for by the champion fans, saw Carling Black Label pay out R800 000. Each winner walked away with R100 000 in world football’s most financially rewarding Man of the Match award.
Stellenbosch FC’s Devin Titus was the first award recipient on Friday after helping the defending champions beat AmaZulu 2-1 at King Zwelithini Stadium.
Elvis Chipezeze of Magesi FC bagged the prize in the biggest upset of the competition. The Zimbabwean was part of the Limpopo side that knocked out cup kings Orlando Pirates with a 3-2 victory at the Orlando Stadium.
Oswin Appolis of Polokwane City received the most votes in Rise and Shine’s 3-2 loss to Marumo Gallants.
Tashreeq Matthews was named Man of the Match in the country’s capital thanks to a five-star display in the Brazilians’ 5-0 win over Abafana Bes’thende at Lucas Moripe Stadium.
Kaizer Chiefs’ Gaston Sirino got the gong after inspiring Amakhosi to a 4-0 victory against SuperSport United in Polokwane.
In the Mother City, Ashley Cupido scooped the award after his Cape Town City beat Royal AM 3-2 at Athlone Stadium.
The last two matches on Sunday were tightly contested for the two remaining slots in the last eight, giving the champion fans the tough task of naming just one outstanding player.
TS Galaxy’s Puso Dithejane rose above everyone when the Rockets fired themselves to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win after extra time against Chippa United at Mbombela Stadium.
Last season’s finalists held on for the victory despite finishing the game with nine men.
Sipho Mbule was rewarded for his brilliant performance for Sekhukhune United despite finishing on the losing side and scoring the own goal, which gave Richards Bay a 1-0 win at the King Zwelithini Stadium.
The draw for the quarterfinals that followed that exciting contest in wet and cold conditions at the Zulu Kingdom pitted Chiefs against Sundowns.
Stellies’ quest to retain their title will take them to Bloemfontein, where they will face Marumo Gallants. The Rockets will host surprise packages Magesi FC, while Richards Bay will once again be at home – this time against the Citizens.
The eight clubs that were knocked out – AmaZulu, Orlando Pirates, Polokwane City, Golden Arrows, SuperSport United, Royal AM, Chippa United, and Sekhukhune United – can still play a part in the tournament.
Their players are now eligible to make up the Carling All-Star squad, a team that will be voted for by champion fans – including its coach.
The voting process is simple: Champion fans just must purchase a promo 750ml or 500ml Carling Black Label, dial *120*660*UNIQUE CODE#, and follow the on-screen prompts.
Voting will close on 10 December.
The starting XI of the All-Star team will feature five players from the Diski Challenge teams with the rest made up of senior players – allowing up-and-coming talent a chance to learn from the country’s finest.
That team will face the Carling Knockout champions in the Carling Cup at Orlando Stadium on 21 December.
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
INFO SUPPLIED.
