Cape Town City FC’s start in the 2025/26 Motsepe Foundation Championship has been nothing short of disappointing, as their opening six matches have resulted in zero wins, three draws, and three losses.
Their reality check has hit hard and fast for a club that only recently dropped from the Betway Premiership.
The Blue and Yellow army, coached by Dutch tactician Jan Vreman, finds itself under pressure to turn the situation around quickly. Amid the growing pressure, reports suggest that the high-profile Dutchman Andries Ulderink will soon be announced as the technical director, a move aimed at steadying the ship.
Former Ajax Cape Town goalkeeper coach Calvin Marlin, who spent two seasons working under Ulderink at Ikamva, has recalled their time together just before the Dutchman’s unexpected resignation. At the time, the Urban Warriors were sitting two points clear at the top of the NFD table, with a game in hand and 11 matches still to play.
WILL ULDERINK HELP CAPE TOWN CITY FC?
On Ulderink’s move to CT City, Marlin said: “We don’t know how much influence he will have as a Technical Director over the head coach,” Marlin told FARPost. “If the head coach does not want to do it, then I’m not sure. But you know what happens in South Africa, a technical director becomes the head coach in a couple of days or weeks.
“But you do hope John [Comitis] is planning because their results have been very poor. If it is something he will do, that is to take over, the process will start this season, but the benefits will probably come next season.
Marlin, who knows the concrete jungle of the second-tier all too well, believes CT City might have underestimated the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
“People underestimate the NFD, just because they were in the PSL. They think it will be a walk in the park…win games. They should have realised when they had the playoffs….what it’s really about.
“There’s no relaxing, there’s no time for passing the ball around. You have a lot more time in the PSL than you do in the NFD.”
Asked how Ulderink was able to dominate the NFD with high-scoring football, Marlin said it was all about the process.
“With him, it was everything; every exercise, every warm-up, everything, everything was based on how he wanted to play. There was no misunderstanding in the players’ minds. Everything is there, and players quickly pick it up. And the work and the effort he put in the final third as well helped the players.”
Meanwhile, CT City are in KwaZulu-Natal this weekend to take on Midlands Wanderers at the Harry Gwala Stadium in a league game on Saturday at 15:30.
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