MTN8 Final: Romain 'Fohloza" Folz Hopes Attending King Misuzulu's Coronation Bodes Well for AmaZulu vs Pirates

• This weekend, AmaZulu will play in the club's biggest game since the weeks leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
• Usuthu will take on Orlando Pirates in the final of the MTN8 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday evening
• The team's French coach Romain Folz hopes that the goodwill stemming from King Misuzulu's coronation last weekend will rub off good luck on the Zulu nation's favourite team

Frenchman Romain Folz has made it a point to ingratiate himself with all those connected to AmaZulu.

He has been on a charm offensive since recently joining the club, and has managed to guide them to the final of the MTN8, where Usuthu will pit their wits against a hungry and hurt Orlando Pirates side at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

According to the Daily Sun, Folz, who has gained himself the nickname "Fohloza" out in KwaZulu-Natal, was a guest of the club's chairman Sandile Zungu at the coronation of King Misuzulu last weekend at the aforementioned venue. There is hope that the ancestors could bless his team against the Buccaneers in acknowledgement of this fact.

Jubilant Orlando Pirates fans invade Peter Mokaba Stadium thumping Mamelodi Sundowns in MTN8 semifinal

Football

Folz said:

"It was incredibly important for us to be there. We're not a team without the support of the Zulu nation, of which we're part. The atmosphere, the level of excitement, the joy I saw was unbelievable. It's a memory to last forever."

MTN8 Final: Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu is a rare cup meeting with interesting facts

The Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban will be rocking on Saturday evening.

In what might be considered a home match for them, Amazulu will lock horns with Orlando Pirates in the final of the MTN8, which will kick off at 6pm. Sports Brief has compiled a list of facts detailing the historic fixture, involving the oldest existing teams in South African football.

FACTS:

• Since 1985, Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu have met on 69 occasions. The former boasts a dominant 32 wins to 11, with 26 draws. Pirates have scored 98 times, with AmaZulu replying with 57 goals
• Since then, the clubs have met just five times in cup competitions. The Buccaneers boast four wins to Usuthu's one
• This is the first time that Pirates and AmaZulu will meet in the MTN8 since 1994 when the competition was still known as the BP Top 8. In a 3rd/4th place play-off, Marks Maponyane and Helman Mkhale scored for Pirates in a 2-1 victory, with Richard Farrer netting for AmaZulu
• The two sides have ever only met twice in a final. This was in the Life Challenge Cup (Nedbank Cup) finals of 1973 and 1974, which the Buccaneers won 5-2 and 1-0 respectively
• Amazulu's last cup final appearance was the Nedbank Cup final in 2010, where they were soundly defeated 3-0 by the now-defunct Bidvest Wits
• Pirates last appeared in a final back in 2020, when they defeated the also-defunct Bloemfontein Celtic 2-1 in the MTN8 final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.