TUT eye ninth Varsity Football final

TUT is the most successful side in the university tournament having clinched the title on four occasions from eight previous finals. 

The institution from Tshwane first won the tournament in 2016 when they beat the University of Johannesburg 2-1. Coincidentally the last time they won a final was also against UJ in 2023.

This year they completed the round-robin stage of the competition finishing fourth on the log-standings on 10 points, while their opponents for tomorrow, Wits, topped the table with 16 points. 

The semifinal takes place at Wits Stadium, which was not a happy hunting ground for TUT in this campaign as they were defeated 2-0 on 11 September in round 6. 

Head coach of TUT, Bushy Moloi says it was a difficult game because they had been without their number one goalkeeper Luyanda Mandindi who was sidelined due to injury but he also conceded that his side missed clear cut chances. 

“When we lost against Wits, we did not have our keeper and it was really difficult for us to come through. We missed a lot of chances, like I said they have never been shocked and for us we have passed through that stage, will they be able to cope this time around? Are they mentally strong? I am not sure, but we need to make sure of all the missed opportunities, we need to bury them this time around,” said Moloi.

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The TUT mentor says the difficult moments in this campaign has helped the team grow stronger and adds that his charges are more hungry than any of the other three contenders. 

“It has been a positive one for all the top four teams. For us, we have gone through difficult moments and that actually helped us and also the players to realise how important it is. I think for these reasons we have grown from where we were when we started to where we are now. We are stronger, more dedicated and more hungry than all the other teams.” 

Kick-off is scheduled for 17hoo on Friday, 25 September at Wits Stadium.