Finally a 'home' team I can support with pride

Thanks to Baroka FC, people from home will no longer have to support a Polokwane City side they had no real connection to, writes Matshelane Mamabolo.

This is a big week for us. And I can only imagine the kind of excitement back home.

You see, we are about to have our own club in the country’s elite league. And as if that was not enough that very same club might just make it into the cup final of the country’s biggest competition.

It surely doesn’t get any better than this, does it?

Of course it can all go pear-shaped, but that is unlikely.

And if the village of GaMphahlele and Lebowakgomo township were some obscure outposts in far away Limpopo previously, I have no doubt that after this they will be well-known the country over.

Thanks to Baroka FC’s amazing exploits in both the National First Division (NFD) where victory at African Warriors this afternoon will ensure they have an unassailable lead at the top of the table with a match to go and in the Nedbank Cup where they need only beat SuperSport United on Saturday to reach the final, people from home will no longer have to support a Polokwane City side they had no real connection to.

Previously we even had to pledge allegiance to Black Leopards and even Dynamos whose home matches we couldn’t even attend - they were so far away from us.

But now there’s a club we know very well - a club whose owner some among us call 'uncle' and whose players many of us grew up playing with.

I personally know Kgoloko Thobejane, the coach who has done a splendid job at Baroka. Just last year Kgoloko was a teacher at my alma mater, Mogodumo Primary School, and was among those we met when we formed our alumni.

We discussed ideas to help make the school’s sport department a successful one and his passion for football shone through as he shared his vision.

While he sadly left the school to take up the coaching post at Baroka, the school and its children are proud to see him doing as well as he is.

And next weekend when they get crowned NFD champions, many of them will be in the stands cheering their former teacher as will most of GaMphahlele and Lebowakgomo - including yours truly.

And wasn’t Mamelodi Sundowns’ come-from-behind win over Medeama at the weekend just beautiful?

For a while there it appeared as though Pitso Mosimane’s Brazillians were about to suffer an unthinkable defeat to a lowly outfit that was just happy to be on the same pitch as the famous Bafana Ba Style.

But in his inimitable way, Jingles got his team out of their Absa Premiership championship celebration hangover and they played like the Brazilians that dominated the local scene.

They should have no problem confirming their spot in the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup when they visit Medeama next week and from there on the sky will be the limit.

The Star