In soccer, when is a trophy not a trophy?

Many media reports state that Kaizer Chiefs’ trophy drought has lasted nine years, with some explicitly saying Amakhosi has not lifted any silverware since 2015.

However, Chiefs lifted the Shell Helix Ultra Cup trophy on 12 October 2019. Itumeleng Khune and Willard Katsande happily hoisted up that trophy after the club’s 4-2 win against Mamelodi Sundowns.

Kaizer Chiefs lifting the 2019 Shell Helix Cup

Although competitive trophies like the DStv Premiership title and Nedbank Cup may be classified as the ‘rain’ needed to alleviate Chiefs’ trophy drought, do friendly trophies not even count as a ‘drizzle’?

In the week leading up to the Shell Helix match, Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp and Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane had a heated discussion on the SABC television show SoccerZone. Both coaches said they would take the match seriously.

A recent media article read that Steve Komphela, Giovanni Solinas, Ernst Middendorp, Gavin Hunt, Arthur Zwane, Molefi Ntseki and Cavin Johanson “have failed the silverware test at Chiefs for a combined 33 trophy attempts”.

However, Kaizer Chiefs have won cups – most of which, if not all, have seen them literally lifting a cup – under at least two of these coaches.

Komphela won at least four trophies while he was head coach of Chiefs – namely, the Maize Cup in 2017, the Macufe Cup in 2017, and two Carling Black Label Cups (in 2016 and 2017).

It is not only friendly trophies won by Chiefs that seem to be forgotten. For example, numerous media reports state that Middendorp has just won the 2005/06 ABSA Cup and 2006/07 SAA Supa 8 in South Africa. 

However, Middendorp has won the following friendly/preseason trophies with South African clubs: 2006 Vodacom Challenge (Chiefs), 2010 Uthukela Mayoral Cup (Maritzburg United), 2011 KZN Premier’s Cup (Golden Arrows), 2014 Charity Showdown and 2014 Macufe Cup (Bloemfontein Celtic), Shell Helix (Chiefs), and 2021 KZN Premier’s Cup (Maritzburg).

Fans show interest in these kinds of games – the Vodacom Challenge against Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United attracted a near-capacity crowd at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, while the Macufe Cup win saw Celtic striker Lerato Lamola doing the ‘bum shuffle’ goal celebration in front of the rapturous Siwelele.

Players, coaches, fans, referees, broadcasters and journalists pay attention to friendly/preseason matches with trophies up for grabs. So why are these pieces of silverware not included in a club’s trophy count?