Cape Town - Since the Nedbank Cup started in 2008, foreigners have fared better than South African coaches and Spaniard José Riveiro is set to continue this trend in tonight’s final at Loftus Versfeld (6pm).
In 2008, Trott Moloto was Mamelodi Sundowns’ winning coach when the Nedbank Cup, South Africa’s version of the famed English FA Cup, replaced the Absa Cup.
Sundowns coaches, all locally born, won it four more times up to last season when Manqoba Mngqithi and Rulani Mokwena were co-coaches.
Other SA Nedbank Cup champion coaches were Gavin Hunt (Supersport United) and Dan Malesela (TS Galaxy).
The most successful SA coach in the Nedbank Cup era was Sundowns’ Pitso Mosimane who won it twice to round off a haul of five Nedbank Cup titles in 15 finals for SA coaches.
Some locals may want to claim six because Roger De Sá, the Bidvest Wits mentor claimed the title in the 2009/10 season. De Sa, a SA national was born in Maputo, in neighbouring Mozambique.
The most successful foreign-born coach in the Nedbank Cup was Stuart Baxter. He won it once as a Kaizer Chiefs coach and twice with Supersport.
Moroka Swallows’ lone Nedbank title was won with Brazilian Júlio César Leal in charge in the 2008/09 season.
De Sá claimed the next title for Wits and the next winning coach was Orlando Pirates’ Ruud Krol. The Dutchman won the title in the 2010/11 season.
The next Pirates coach to win was Serbian Vladimir Vermezovi .
It was rare for a Nedbank Cup final to be played in the Mother City, but the 2017/18 decider was played at the Cape Town Stadium, between Free State Stars and Maritzburg United. The Belgium-born mentor Luc Eymael guided the Free Staters to a 1-0 win.
The last foreign-born coach to lift the Nedbank Cup was Englishman Dylan Kerr who guided Limpopo team Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) to a 1-0 victory over Chippa United at the Free State Stadium.
Coach Riveiro can rest assured that the Pirates players want to win today’s final for the sake of their coach. He is on the verge of a cup double after guiding Pirates to the MTN8 title this season.
Pirates midfielder Sandile Mthethwa said his teammates will give it their all to win the trophy for Riveiro.
“We are going to win the Nedbank Cup for him,” said Mthethwa.
“Coach Riveiro has done a good job on all the players. He always wants 100%. He’s that coach that will only give you a chance if you work hard. If you don’t, you won’t play.
“Individually, I think he’s really helped me because he told me I should be a hard worker, I should wait for my chance. He believes in me; he trusts me when the others who normally play are not available to play. I’m his go-to man.”
And the final word goes to Riveiro: “Where we are is the reason that we have an opportunity to fight for titles. We have a fantastic structure, a big squad full of talent that allows you to dream about it, but we still have to find a way to do it.”
@Herman_Gibbs