Johannesburg--The South African FA Cup sponsor was relieved Monday after the quarter-finals draw in Johannesburg kept apart Pretoria clubs Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United.
A Sundowns-SuperSport final represents the best bet for an attractive, crowd-pulling climax after the weekend eliminations of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, by far the biggest South African football drawcards.
Chiefs-Pirates Soweto derbies regularly attract capacity 90,000 crowds to the Soccer City stadium in the township on the south-west outskirt of Johannesburg.
While the national bank who sponsor the FA Cup would never admit it publicly, they share with all other football sponsors in the republic the desire for a dream Chiefs-Pirates decider.
But second-tier Black Leopards shocked a Chiefs team lacking many rested first choices and SuperSport eliminated title-holders Pirates via a wonder goal from New Zealander Jeremy Brockie.
Sundowns have what appears a tougher last-eight task than SuperSport -- away to unpredictable Mpumalanga Black Aces in north-east city Nelspruit.
SuperSport, chasing a knockout competition double this season after lifting the League Cup, will be favoured to succeed at home against second-tier league leaders Golden Arrows.
An all-Premiership clash between Ajax Cape Town and Wits and an all-second-tier meeting between Leopards and Vasco da Gama completes the line-up.
The winners of the mid-May final bank 7.25 million rand ($605,000-555,000 euros) and qualify for the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup.
Draw
Mpumalanga Black Aces v Mamelodi Sundowns, Ajax Cape Town v Wits, Black Leopards v Vasco da Gama, SuperSport Utd v Golden Arrows
Note: matches to be played on April 11-12
AFP
