Chippa United captain promises fight in Nedbank Cup final

Chippa United skipper Frédéric Nsabiyumva has urged his teammates to fight hard to bring a historic first trophy to the club as they take on TTM in the Nedbank Cup final at the Free State Stadium on Saturday.

What are your thoughts ahead of Saturday’s game?

We are looking forward to the Nedbank Cup final. We were saying that as players, some of us have never been in a cup final before, so it is our chance now to show what we can do.

Especially here in our club, we are looking forward to bringing this cup to the Eastern Cape.

To play a final is something else. We know how many teams compete to reach this final, but it is only two that can be there. We are part of that.

For us it is special also because of the history of the club, the first time in a cup final. Everyone in the province will be watching the game and we want to win the cup for them.

You have a new coach in Vladislav Heric, who has only been with you for a couple of weeks. Has it been an easy adjustment to his methods?

The new coach has been doing a lot to help us, when he came in it was very difficult. You have to try and adapt as quick as possible. We were not doing well, so he had to come and jump in to see what he can change in a short space of time.

In terms of tactics, it is difficult to change [a lot] because there is no time. But what he has brought is the confidence and to change the mentality of the players.

The belief that we can do it, because we are all good players here. It is just that mentality that had to change. And to work together as a team.

Has that brought a new energy to the players?

What I have seen on the training ground is that when there is a new coach you have to adapt to his style of play. Everyone has a chance [to make the team] and everybody is pushing to be in the first XI.

Everyone wants to be involved in this cup final, so everybody is pushing very hard at training. The morale is there, we are all pushing each other.

Togetherness, that is the key we are having now. To play and fight. We are not conceding many goals since the coach arrived. The coach is pushing us to just take it game-by-game.

When you are trying to survive in the league and are down at the bottom, but there is also the cup to play … most of the teams sometimes choose one or the other. For us, the coaches have told us we need both.

This is the first time we are playing in a cup final and we need to win. Each and every game, the cup and the league, is now a ‘final’. That is how we need to look at it.

What message would you have for the Chippa United fans?

This is our time., We fought for so many years to be in a cup final. We hope they will support us, wherever they will be. We don’t want to disappoint them. We are going there to fight to get that trophy for the Eastern Cape.

But even in my own country [Burundi], they will be all following on social media and whatnot because they know I am in a final and they will want me to win.