What Ncikazi wants from Pirates in the MTN8 final

Orlando Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi says history and experience will count for nothing when the club tackles AmaZulu in the MTN8 final at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The finale is set to be staged in Durban on Saturday evening (18:00) and Ncikazi, who won the MTN8 title twice as an assistant coach says his good record in the MTN8 final is irrelevant.

He first clinched it with Golden Arrows back in 2009 as an assistant to Manqoba Mngqithi when the KwaZulu-Natal side beat Ajax Cape Town 6-0 in Soweto.

And with Pirates in 2020 as the second in command to Josef Zinnbauer. The Soweto giants beat Bloemfontein Celtic in the final.

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However, Ncikazi believes it will all go down to who wants it the most on the night. The Pirates assistant coach is optimistic that his troops will rise to the occasion.

It will be AmaZulu first appearance in the final in 12 years as they look to end their 30-year trophy drought.

“The history and experience will not work, if we are going to do that, we will be wasting our time,” Ncikazi told the media.

“We have to respect AmaZulu and make sure our players deliver the best performance.”

With AmaZulu eager to win the MTN8 for the newly coronated king Misuzulu kaZwelithini, Ncikazi says Pirates also want to gift the King with a trophy, because he is leading everyone not only in KZN.

“King is ours as well, even though we stay in Gauteng, there is Nkosinathi Sibisi, Bandile Shandu and Siyabonga Mpontshane. As Orlando Pirates we would love to present the king with the trophy,” he said.

“The King is for everyone, he does not belong to one club and we should stop making as if he belongs to AmaZulu, even us in Gauteng, we belong to him.”

AmaZulu president Sandile Zungu promised to give his players big bonuses, if they win the MTN8 and Ncikazi said at Pirates they do not make public announcements about rewarding players.

“At Pirates we do not make it public on what players will get if they win, it not our style. Players know they will be rewarded and it not for public consumption, it has been done before.”