BLOEMFONTEIN: The stakes are high in the upcoming Varsity Football derby between the men’s teams of the University of the Free State (UFS) and the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State. They will meet tomorrow on Thursday, 4 September, at the UFS Bloemfontein campus’ Shimla Park. This eagerly-awaited fixture of round five of the competition featuring eight top-seeded university football teams kicks off at 19:15.
The four teams finishing on top after round-robin matches automatically qualify for the semifinals. The favourites include log leaders, the University of Johannesburg (UJ), topping the table with ten points and the Tshwane University Technology (TUT) in second place with eight points while the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) are in third position with seven points, tied with Kovsies.

The Kovsie men are compelled to collect points in the next matches to remain in the top four and intensify their chance of securing a semifinal berth. This could see a repeat of last year’s derby in which the UFS could use the relegation-bound CUT as the stepping stone to make their advancement in the log standings that much easier. Last year the Kovsie boys did so, narrowly beating their hometown boys 1 − 0.

In the first-ever local derby in 2019, the CUT emerged victorious, winning 2 − 0. However, the UFS players reigned supreme in recent derbies and claimed bragging rights.

The forthcoming derby is a must-win fixture for both the respective coaches − Patrick Malokase of the CUT and Mokete Tsotetsi of the UFS − considering their aspirations to lift the elusive trophy. The CUT team are under immense pressure to improve their position and climb from the bottom of the log while the UFS boys target to be among the prospective semifinalists.

In matches played thus far, the two local sides had contrasting results. The CUT boys lost three matches: 1 − 4 to Wits, 0 − 1 against the North-West University (NWU), and 1 − 3 at the hands of the TUT. The CUT’s single win (2 − 1) was against fellow relegation opponents, the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The UFS men’s wins were against the DUT and NWU (2 − 1) and 1 − 0, respectively. The only draw was against the University of Pretoria (UP Tuks).

It is now do or die for the CUT players and management team, who are desperate for a win to escape the dreaded relegation from South Africa’s premier university football competition.