Royal AM chairman Andile Mpisane was fielded as a substitute in the 2022 Macufe Cup final against Kaizer Chiefs, and let’s just say, truly, nothing is impossible.
Andile Mpisane vs Kaizer Chiefs match highlights
The son of eccentric multimillionaire Shauwn MaMkhize sent local ‘diski’ into a frenzy when, in the 93rd minute, he was subbed on in the place of Khulekani Shezi.
By then, Royal AM were on cruise control, or so they believed and fielding the chairman was, more than anything, a personal bucket list moment. However, in the dying minutes, Keagan Dolly equalised for Chiefs, taking the 2022 Macufe Cup decider to penalty shootouts.
Royal AM went on to clinch the cup competition after beating Chiefs at penalties. While the boycott outside the Free State Stadium captured most of the attention, on social media, soccer fans were gob-smacked by Mpisane’s post-match antics.
The Royal AM chairman enthusiastically lifted the 2022 Macufe Cup without so much as a single touch of the ball.
Here are the Andile Mpisane vs Kaizer Chiefs match highlights:
Why were Bloemfontein fans boycotting Royal AM?
The Macufe Cup has historically been a flagship weekend festival in Bloemfontein. This year, the event took place amid ongoing tensions between Bloemfontein Celtics fans and Royal AM owners.
In 2021, MaMkhize purchased Celtics for R50 million, renamed the franchise Royal AM and moved its sporting grounds to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), effectively bringing an end to decades of Premier Soccer League activity in Bloemfontein.
At the 2022 Macufe Cup final, die-hard fans of the non-existent Celtics franchise camped outside the stadium and boycotted the event over the gall displayed by Royal AM owners.
“We are not blaming MaMkhize, but the club brings back memories of our brand being moved to KZN. Maybe tournament organiser Ben Moseme should have brought another Free State team. Then we were gonna come and support it. Our heart is painful,: one supporter was quoted as saying by Sport Brief.
