SuperSport face the dangerous prospect of entering the Premier Soccer League promotion/relegation play-offs heading into their final Absa Premiership clash against Baroka on Saturday afternoon.
This would be the first time in the club’s 24-year history that they slip into this position, since taking over the status of Pretoria City following their relegation from the NSL First Division in 1994.
With just two points separating 14th-placed SuperSport from 15th-placed Ajax Cape Town, a win for the three-time league champions over Bakgaga would be enough to ensure their survival.
Katza, who wore the colours of the Tshwane outfit as a player from 2003 to 2012 and as a youth coach until a few weeks ago, says it is now up to the playing personnel to protect the club’s name and avoid the threat of relegation.
“At the end of the day, the players are the ones playing. I’ve been a player and now I’m a coach, and I see that coaches can only do that much,” Katza stresses to snl24.com/kickoff.
“The players are ultimately the ones that go out and play the game, and at the end of the day it doesn’t matter who plays – yes, the coach always comes with a plan – but the players need to go out and get the result.
“You know, I’ve played games before when there was no plan [from the coach] and we still ended up winning the game, so hence I say it’s down to the players to come out of this situation – it’s not the club, it’s not the coach.”
The 40-year-old former Bafana Bafana defender, who is now director of football at the esteemed Grey College in Bloemfontein, reiterates his stance that the club is too big to contest the First Division and says players should fear making negative history for the club and take responsibility for their own sakes.
“Again, to be honest, it’s too big a club to go down to the NFD. Though he’s just the coach that’s standing in, Kaitano [Tembo] also knows it’s down to the players,” he adds.
“Whoever goes out and plays on Saturday, if they don’t know what is expected of them then they shouldn’t play football because no one wants to be part of the club’s history of being the first team to let the club get relegated.
“So, at the end of the day, they need to realise where they are as players and what their responsibility is.”