THOHOYANDOU – Black Leopards will not participate in the next round of the prestigious Coca Cola KO Competition. They were booted out of the competition by Wits University Football Club, who beat them 1-0 at the Thohoyandou Stadium on Saturday.

The Leopards' technical staff blundered, by taking too long to replace their diminutive striker, Rudzani Ramudzuli, who was out of touch from the onset. The clever students used their height advantage fruitfully by playing high balls from behind.

On the other hand, the homeside were let down by their midfielder, Wanani Mulaudzi, whose passes were too short to reach their destinations. Lidoda duvha squandered an obvious chance in the 20th minute when Wonder Nhleko received a loose ball within the box and shot wide.

Fourteen minutes thereafter the visitors' captain, Charles Yohane, finished off after a scramble within the Leopards' danger area.

The Limpopo outfit left Rudzani Ramudzuli in the dressing room and brought Mulondo Sikhwivhilu in his place.

The keeper of Wits, Wayne Roberts, was cautioned for wasting time. The Leopards' technical staff finally succumbed to the supporters' call, by replacing Wanani Mulaudzi with Nhlanhla Mathebula in the 64th minute. They finished off their substitution chances by introducing Richard Lishivha for Wonder Nlheko.

The game came to a halt for about seven minutes following an argument between the referee, Jonas Nhlapo, and the Wits coach, Roger de Sa. The centre of the argument was the red card that was flashed to their defender, Ivan Winstanely, for the usage of vulgar words against the referee. Wits used their defensive tactics well in the remaining minutes.