It’s 200 not out for City as they reach milestone

Cape Town City will celebrate a significant milestone when they host Swallows FC in the DStv Premiership on Sunday – it will be their 200th league game since owner John Comitis set up the franchise.

The former Cape Town Spurs and Ajax Cape Town boss bought the franchise of Mpumalanga Black Aces in 2016 to set up City, using the name of the old club that had campaigned in the whites-only National Football League and then in the early days of the mixed National Professional Soccer League before going out of business in 1979.

City kicked off their rebirth in August 2016, beating Polokwane City 2-0 at home with Eric Tinkler as coach and Bhongolwethu Jayiya scoring their first goal, and have finished no lower than seventh place in their six completed top flight season.

City have won 79 of their previous 199 league games with 61 draws and 59 draws. They have scored 253 goals and conceded 220, amassing 298 points.

They have employed only three permanent coaches with Tinkler their first, before he was poached away by SuperSport United after taking City to a third placed finish in their first season.

After him followed Benni McCarthy, Jan Olde Reikerink and Diogo Peral as a caretaker for a handful of matches after the Dutch coach was fired in 2021. Tinkler returned to City near the close of the 2020-21 season and in the last campaign ensured runners-up status for City, their highest league position to date.

Captain Thamsanqa Mkhize and midfielder Thabo Nodada are the only players remaining from their first season and likely to feature on Sunday as City look for vital poits against Swallows.