Loftman unfazed by mounting pressure ahead of Vhembe derby |

As Michael Loftman continues to settle into life as Venda Football Academy (VFA) head coach, he is letting nothing get in his way of returning the side to its best form ahead of the Vhembe derby.  

VFA will lock horns with arch-rivals Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila [TTM] in the Motsepe Foundation Champion clash on Saturday, 17 September at Thohoyandou Stadium. The kick-off is set for 15:00 in the afternoon.

The ex-Orlando Pirates Multichoice Diski Challenge [now known as DStv Diski Challnge] coach has played down the hype ahead of the derby.

However, much of the attention in the build-up has surrounded VFA and the position of their under-pressure mentor Loftman following quell reports in the media that suggested he was involved in an altercation with his assistant coach Luvhengo Mungomeni during their first league game against Magesi FC.

LOFTMAN SAYS HE CAN HANDLE THE PRESSURE

Meanwhile, the former coach and analyst at Lommel SK says he remains unfazed however.

Previewing the weekend’s game against TTM, he said: “If we can perform at the level that we played against Polokwane City and the quality that the players have shown I don’t think we will have anything to worry about in terms of preparing for the game.”

“We always look at the performance and data, and do our analysis after.

“And if you look at the performance of the players was unbelievable despite everything that went against them in this game [playing one man short for 60 minutes following Ricardo Versuur’s red card].