There couldn’t have been a better time than now for South Africa to grab its third star in the CAF Champions League, the most prestigious club competition on the continent.
Betway Premiership sides Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates are really turning it up in the Champions League and have reached the quarterfinal stage.
Downs and Bucs are the only two SA teams to have won the tournament, with the Buccaneers clinching it 30 years ago in 1995 and the Brazilians in 2016 under Pitso Mosimane.
The last time Mzansi had two clubs in the quarterfinals of the competition was when Kaizer Chiefs stunned all, tagged along, and allowed Sundowns to hold their hand in the 2021 edition of the tournament.
Surprisingly, the Brazilians bombed out, and Amakhosi went all the way to the final, leaving everyone astounded.
Chiefs could have won the final and brought the sought-after star back home — but they fumbled and fired coach Gavin Hunt in the lead-up to the final and paid the price.
If I am not mistaken, Amakhosi were anxious and frightened that they were going to get relegated, as they were languishing in the danger zone.
They dumped Hunt, an established trophy winner, and brought back Stuart Baxter, who only proved to be out of his depth and a little jaded at the time.
Seeking a medal, Baxter jumped onto the bench immediately after his appointment, only to be humiliated by Mosimane’s Al Ahly 3-0 in Casablanca, Morocco.
Baxter returned to Mzansi with Amakhosi with his tail between the legs. Without a Champions League star, the taunts have not stopped, and it does not look like they will, anytime soon, until the Chiefs manage to bag the coveted trophy someday.
Local football followers are hoping that Pirates and Sundowns are not drawn together in the quarterfinals after the Brazilians finished runners-up in Group B.
With only a few minutes to go, they allowed AS FAR Rabat to steal an equaliser, relegating Miguel Cardoso’s boys to second spot, meaning that there’s a big possibility of being drawn against the Buccaneers, who topped Group C.
That would really piss off a lot of football followers. It would grind my teeth as well because we are all salivating at the prospect of a final between two clubs from Azania who are playing beautiful football and have bought cleverly in the market.
Bucs and Downs are also involved in a scintilating race for the PSL league championship on the local front.
They are neck and neck, with the Brazilians currently sitting on a six-point lead, having registered 30 points with Jose Riveiro’s Pirates on 27 points with a game in hand.
This is a warning shot to the rest of the continent that SA diski is on the rise and wants to reclaim its place at the top table.
On the national team front, Bafana Bafana is also coming to the party, and they are benefiting from farsightedness, planning, and prescience.
Bafana have turned into a fearsome team on the continent, largely due to Sundowns’ experienced players and a sprinkle of the Sea Robbers as well, as seen at last year’s Afcon and 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
