So far, de Sa has won only one cup final out of all the seven that he has reached since his time at Bidvest Wits – the club where he spent a decade of his 15-year coaching career thus far.
The 2010 Nedbank Cup remains the only winners’ medal that the 50 year-old has ever worn on his neck after putting AmaZulu to the sword in a 3-0 victory upon the re-opening of the renovated FNB Stadium just before the World Cup.
Prior to that, de Sa had taken the then Wits University to the 2005 ABSA Cup in Rustenburg where Lungisani Ndlela’s sole strike made the difference for SuperSport United.
In 2011, he reached the Telkom KnockOut decider, but was again a losing finalist against Orlando Pirates in an ill-fated contest staged at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
De Sa then crossed over to The Bucs where he was in four consecutive finals – all of which he lost.
First up was the 2013 MTN8 showdown against Platinum Stars, where he suffered a 2-1 defeat. Next came the two-legged 2013 CAF Champions League Final which he lost 3-2 on aggregate to Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly, which was then followed by the 2013 Telkom KnockOut final which he again lost 2-1 to Dikwena.
After choosing to walk out of the volatile job at Pirates, de Sa joined Ajax who he led to this year’s Nedbank Cup Final, yet again had to settle for a runners-up medal after a penalty shootout defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns at the same venue where the MTN8 final is being played this afternoon.
Ajax are desperate to lift a trophy seven years since they ended as champions of any competition in domestic football,having lost all three finals that they have reached since winning the 2008 Telkom KnockOut.
After that famous victory against Pirates in Durban, the Urban Warriors were then humiliated 6-0 by Golden Arrows in the 2009 MTN8 final, before losing the 2009 Telkom KnockOut which they lost 2-1 to Chiefs.
Then came this year’s loss to Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup.
Evidently the odds are not only against de Sa, but also his club Ajax too … but then again, this is a cup Final where games are not determined by history or form, but what happens on the day.