Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Tlhopie Motsepe says the best way to deal with the setback of losing to TS Galaxy on Tuesday night is to bring joy when they play in the final of the CAF Champions League.
The 3-2 loss to Galaxy has effectively ended Sundowns’ hope of winning the PSL league title nine times in a row.
Downs’ defeat has opened the door for Orlando Pirates to overtake the defending champions since they need three points in their remaining two games. Sundowns have finished their ratio of matches for the season.
Sundowns can rescue their season when they face Morocco’s AS FAR in the two-legged final that will start at Loftus Stadium on Sunday, with the return match in Rabat next weekend.
‘Our campaign is done’
“Usually, when we have our last game of the season, when we’ve been blessed and privileged to be in a position where we had the wonderful trophy with us and we could celebrate with our supporters, the league is not finished yet, but our campaign is done,” said Motsepe on Supersport TV.
“We’ve had a very long and very exciting and entertaining season. We faced competitors that pushed us all the way, and credit should go to all the teams in the league that have made this such an exciting campaign. And of course, the leadership of the league, Dr Irvin Khoza and our CEO Mato Madlala, both of them have created such an exciting product,” said Motsepe.
“And we’re just privileged and honoured to be part of that exciting product. But we also just want to say thank you very much to our supporters that have been with us throughout the whole season. We would have hoped, of course, to end our last game on a victory and make sure that they had something to celebrate.
Focus shifts to Champions League
“But now it’s up to us to look forward and try our best to, you know, bring the energy and bring the joy next week when we play in the final for the Champions League. I’m sure those fans will certainly appreciate you giving them everything to be happy about when the weekend comes.
When asked to look back at the season, Motsepe explained: “I think, first of all, there was, you know, our coach said it at the beginning of the season that this was going to be a very tough campaign. There’s a lot of reasons why it was tough, maybe internally from a Sundowns perspective. People will say that, you know, all sorts of fatigue and coming off the Club World Cup.
“We would have hoped to end our last game on a victory and make sure that they had something to celebrate with, but now it’s up to us to look forward and try our best to bring the energy and bring the joy next week when we play in the final for the Champions League,” the club chairman said.
“We can be proud and say that we did our best, we did our job and now we have to focus on the next very important hurdle that awaits us next week,” he added.
- Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Tlhopie Motsepe acknowledges the loss to TS Galaxy ended their chance at a ninth consecutive PSL title.
- Orlando Pirates now have the opportunity to overtake Sundowns by winning their remaining two matches.
- Sundowns will focus on the upcoming two-legged CAF Champions League final against Morocco’s AS FAR, starting this Sunday.
- Motsepe praised the competitive nature of the league and thanked supporters, expressing hope to bring joy in the Champions League final.
- Despite internal challenges and fatigue, Sundowns are determined to give their best effort in the final to end the season positively.
Mamelodi
Downs’ defeat has opened the door for
“Usually, when we have our last game of the season, when we've been blessed and privileged to be in a position where we had the wonderful trophy with us and we could celebrate with our supporters, the league is not finished yet, but our campaign is done,” said Motsepe on Supersport TV.
“We've had a very long and very exciting and entertaining season. We faced competitors that pushed us all the way, and credit should go to all the teams in the league that have made this such an exciting campaign.
“
“But now it's up to us to look forward and try our best to, you know, bring the energy and bring the joy next week when we play in the final for the Champions League. I'm sure those fans will certainly appreciate you giving them everything to be happy about when the weekend comes.
When asked to look back at the season, Motsepe explained: “I think, first of all, there was, you know, our coach said it at the beginning of the season that this was going to be a very tough campaign.
"We would have hoped to end our last game on a victory and make sure that they had something to celebrate with, but now it's up to us to look forward and try our best to bring the energy and bring the joy next week when we play in the final for the Champions League," the club chairman said.
“We can be proud and say that we did our best, we did our job and now we have to focus on the next very important hurdle that awaits us next week,” he added.
