Kopo Makes Bold Betway Premiership Promotion Claim
Kwanele Kopo, who was recently appointed as the new head coach of Motsepe Foundation Championship side, University of Pretoria, has made a bullish promotion claim ahead of the upcoming 2025/26 season.
AmaTuks have been away from the top-flight division since their relegation to the second-tier in the 2015/16 season, where they registered a 15th place finish and had their fate sealed via the PSL Promotion/Relegation Playoffs.
Last term, the Pretoria-based outfit managed a mid-table finish in 10th place as they struggled to pick up points, particularly in the second half of the season. This prompted the club to part ways with coach Tlisane Motaung at the end of the season.
Now, the Capital club is set to usher into a new era under the tutelage of the experienced Eastern Cape-born tactician, who is fully aware that the task to return Tuks to its glory days will be a process that requires immense patience.
“This is a process, and that was one of the other things that was attractive for me when we were negotiating, that they understand that this is a process. We are looking at the next two to three years in terms of our relationship together,” said Kopo.
“In those two to three years, the target is to get the team back to the Betway Premiership. So, this first year is a transition in so many ways; it’s a transition in playing style. There may be changes in terms of the players and the playing personnel.
“It’s a completely new coaching staff, new methodology that’s going to come in. So, the first year is truly a transition, but we still want to compete. But we do understand that if we don’t hit the top in the first year, we still have the second and third year to then say now we are settled to go guns blazing.”
However, despite acknowledging that rejuvenating AmaTuks won’t be a walk in the park, Kopo is under no illusion about the standard of the club, stating that their mandate is to hit the ground running and fight for promotion to the elite league next season.
“But the nature and the culture of Tuks don’t allow us to say we are not competing for promotion. Next season we are going to be competing for promotion, but we know that we are going through a transition,” the former Chippa United mentor added.
“If we manage this transition properly in the first year and we get promoted, it will be a bonus. But it’s a process, it will be a two to three-year process that we are looking to bring Tuks back to top-flight football, to competitive football season in and out, that’s what we are looking to do.”
It remains to be seen how Kopo will fare in his maiden season at the helm of AmaTuks, with the Motsepe Foundation Championship proving to be a cutthroat business for all the teams, including established ones, vying for promotion.
