Mngqithi Motivated by Last Season’s Cup Heartbreak

Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi admits he is still haunted by last season’s Carling Knockout Cup final defeat to Magesi FC, revealing that he has kept his silver medal as motivation to win the gold one.

Mngqithi said he usually doesn’t hold on to runners-up medals, but this one carries personal significance. It serves as a reminder of the only domestic trophy missing from his coaching cabinet — the Carling Knockout Cup.

The silver medal he referred to came from last season’s final at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, when he led Mamelodi Sundowns against newly promoted Magesi FC. Sundowns had taken an early lead through Iqraam Rayners, but Magesi stunned them with two late goals in the second half to clinch a famous victory.

That loss, coupled with a slow start in the CAF Champions League group stages, ultimately led to changes in the Sundowns technical team, with Mngqithi dismissed in December and later replaced by Miguel Cardoso.

Now in charge of Arrows, Mngqithi has guided his new side to the Carling Knockout Cup semi-finals after overcoming TS Galaxy in the quarter-finals at King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday.

With Arrows joining fellow KwaZulu-Natal side Richards Bay in the semi-finals, they now await the remaining quarter-final fixtures — Orlando Pirates vs Magesi FC on Tuesday and Stellenbosch vs Marumo Gallants on Wednesday — to see who their next opponents will be.

Reflecting on his Carling Knockout journey, Mngqithi said last season’s heartbreak has taught him humility and the importance of every match.

“The perception of the semi-final — I don’t want to go there because I was humbled last season,” said Mngqithi.

“I played against Magesi in the final, and the season before that, we [Sundowns] lost to TS Galaxy in the first round of the competition. Then I took the team to the final and got humbled again in a game we dominated from start to finish — but unfortunately didn’t win.

“It was maybe my first final as a coach that I didn’t win, and that for me says every game is important. I still have that Carling Black Label silver medal in my bag. I want to change it because it was very unfortunate that we lost that match.

“I decided to keep it. I normally don’t keep silver medals, but since I haven’t won the Carling Black Label Cup — even though I’ve won every other trophy in the country — I said I’ll keep it until I can replace it with gold.”

Previously known as the Telkom Knockout, Mngqithi has lifted this competition twice during his time at Mamelodi Sundowns — under Pitso Mosimane — in the 2015/16 and 2019/20 seasons.