21 September 2018, by: Thabang Kgeledi

SHOULD CAPE TOWN CITY BE CONSIDERED ONE OF THE TOP 4?

Guest columnist Thabang Kgeledi of  uncovers a Twitter beef and then delves into the question behind the spat.

There is nothing that excites me more than Twitter beef. When Cape Town City and Kick Off went at it on the social network last week, my eyes were glued to my cracked iPhone screen.

Kick Off’s official Twitter account tweeted ‘Which of the ‘Big Three’ made the best goalkeeper signing?’ with a picture that included Mamelodi Sundowns’ Reyaad Pieters, Orlando Pirates’ Brilliant Khuzwayo and Kaizer Chiefs’ Virgil Vries.

Cape Town City, unhappy their newly signed Peter Leeuwenburgh was not included, responded with a picture of the Dutch stopper with the caption ‘I’m just gonna leave this here for your non-biased readers… ?’.

I’m just gonna leave this here for your non-biased readers… ?

— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC)

The hairs on my arms stood up as my tweetey sensed beef coming…

Kick Off retorted with ‘We are talking about the Big Three’ to which Cape Town City replied with ‘Our bad… we mistook you for a serious publication.’

Our bad… we mistook you for a serious publication.

— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC)

Petty stuff indeed but entertaining nonetheless.

I don’t think Cape Town City’s Twitter admin was insinuating that Cape Town City is part of the big three. I think he was asking for recognition for his clubs good signing of a top keeper. South African soccer publications focus their content on the ‘top 3’ teams. Content on those clubs get clicks on their websites and publication purchases – they are running a business after all.

The short-lived Twitter spat had me thinking… With all the relative success Cape Town City has enjoyed ever since its inception two years ago, should it be considered a top 4 club?

After doing intensive research (15 minutes on Google) on what constitutes a big/top soccer club. It came down to three factors: finances, winning and support.

The so-called biggest clubs in the world all have lost and lost of money which and are eager to blow it. Cape Town City were re-formed in 2016 by the takeover of the PSL’s defunct MP Black Aces franchise. Cape Town City owner John Comitis’ net worth is reportedly R130 million and he hasn’t been afraid in spending it. In their first season, Cape Town City signed over 11 players.

You want to know what makes this team better that team? Just take a look at their win-loss record. Winning is the definition of success in football and in sports in general.

Cape Town City has won a Telkom Knockout Cup in 2016, was runner-up in the MTN 8 in 2017, and have made it to this year’s MTN 8 final. A decent haul in three seasons.

If your club name isn’t Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs, or Orlando Pirates you ain’t getting much support outside your immediate family. How does Cape Town City compare to the clubs outside of the big three?

I researched their attendance in their last 3 home games they are sitting at around 6,000. That isn’t bad considering this is a team that started with 18 supporting family members two years ago.

In conclusion, City is financially stable, has a fair amount of support, and in only two seasons has reached three finals and has won one trophy. It might be too early to call them the outright fourth biggest team in South Africa but they are on their way. There more fans coming to the stadium every year and they are signing better players. They’ve certainly done enough so far to shoulder their way into Twitter conversations!