While most Motsepe Foundation Championship League clubs have given their players time off after last weekend's matches, Venda Football Club (VFC) has taken a different approach. Maunavhathu players were granted only a single day off after their 3-0 victory over JDR Stars at Thohoyandou Stadium last Saturday before resuming training on Monday.
Teams in the league have a two-week break before their next fixtures, scheduled for the weekend of 28–30 March. However, VFC's assistant coach, Luvhengo Mungomeni, said the decision to keep training was made because the club's survival in the league remains uncertain.
Despite securing six points from their last two games, VFC are still third from the bottom of the log with 23 points, four ahead of last-placed Leruma United. Mungomeni stressed that while recent victories were encouraging, the team must maintain its momentum.
"We are treating all our remaining fixtures like cup finals. Winning our next two matches will move us out of the relegation zone, and possibly into the top eight," he said.
VFC's next fixture is against Pretoria Callies at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday, 30 March. Mungomeni acknowledged the crucial nature of the match, as Callies, currently 13th on the table with 24 points, are also fighting to avoid the chop.
"Failure to beat Callies will do us more harm than good," he said.