Bees all abuzz about ahead of showdown- Team determined to give promotion playoffs their best shot

EC Bees players, seen warming up ahead of their ABC Motsepe League game against Future Tigers earlier this year.
EC Bees players, seen warming up ahead of their ABC Motsepe League game against Future Tigers earlier this year.
Eastern Cape Bees have promised to prove to soccer fans that they are a force to be reckoned with and deserve to represent the province in next week’s promotional playoffs.

Bees were confirmed as the Eastern Cape ABC Motsepe League champions on Saturday after successfully challenging a SA Football Association (Safa) disciplinary hearing decision that would have seen Future Tigers being crowned as the champs.

The “Crazy Gang” will be determined to follow the club’s slogan and sting like a bee as they go all out for one of two National First Division (NFD) spots up for grabs.

Bees have been drawn against KwaZulu-Natal champions Uthongathi, Zizwe United of the Western Cape and Northern Cape champions Mainstay United in Group B.

The playoffs will be played at three stadiums – Sisa Dukashe in Mdantsane, Buffalo City Stadium and Jan Smuts both in Arcadia between June 5 and June 11.

In Group A, which on paper appears to be the Group of Death, Super Eagles of Free State will go head-to-head with Buya Msuthu of the North West, The Dolphins of Limpopo, Acornbush from Mpumalanga and either Maccabi or Vaal Professionals as the Gauteng champions will be decided in the boardroom tomorrow.

Bees assistant coach Moketi Tsotetsi said they were relieved that the playoff saga had been settled. “Now we can fully concentrate on the playoffs. We never stopped our preparations so we are well prepared. We are ready,” he said.

Bees will get their playoffs underway with a game against Uthongathi at Sisa Dukashe Stadium on Wednesday at 9am.

The former Kaizer Chiefs defender said home ground advantage will go a long way in helping the team realise its dream of joining Mthatha Bucks as the second Eastern Cape team in the NFD next season.

Gaining promotion will be a cherry on top for Bees as they also qualified for the Nedbank Cup last 32 round where they were knocked out, but not outclassed by Orlando Pirates.

“The support will be marvellous. Because we are the hosting team we have to unsettle the visitors through the support that we will have.

“We will show the people that football is still here in the Eastern Cape. We will show everyone that we didn’t play the way we did in the Nedbank Cup because we played against Pirates,” he said.

“We saw how the support was when we played in the Nedbank Cup – we filled the stadium. We are hoping that we will have the support again during the playoffs as we are representing the Eastern Cape.”

As the hosting province, Bees will automatically be among the favourites to claim one of the two NFD spots.

But Tsotetsi is well aware that they are not guaranteed a berth in the second tier.

Playing against teams for the first time will make for much tougher opponents. So, what will the strategy be going into the crucial games?

“We have to concentrate on ourselves and not worry too much about other teams.

“Every team that will be in the playoffs wants to be in the NFD next season. We just have to continue working as hard as we did during the season,” Tsotetsi said.

“We just have to relax and enjoy ourselves and everything will fall into place.”

The two teams that gain promotion to the NFD will battle it out in the final with the winner walking away with R1-million – R800000 goes to the team and R200000 will be donated to a developmental soccer project.

The runners-up will earn R400000 with R100000 donated towards a developmental soccer project.

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