What will a CAF Champions League victory for Mamelodi Sundowns do for SA football?
LONG TERM EFFECT Mamelodi Sundowns' CAF Champions League victory could cement their status as Africa's top club, boost South African football's prestige, and secure lucrative rewards, and would go a long way to ensuring their domination of the local landscape will continue unabated. Seen here: Mamelodi Sundowns' Arthur Sales celebrates. Picture: BackpagePix
Image: Backpagepix
Mamelodi Sundowns are the best team in South Africa by some distance, and winning their eighth league title in a row is testament to this.
On Sunday, Sundowns were officially awarded their Betway Premiership title after their 2-0 win over Magesi at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, in Pretoria.
It was their last game of the league season, and they had already clinched the title last week. In fact, they could probably have secured the trophy a fair bit sooner if second-placed Orlando Pirates had not had three games in hand.
Pirates are on 56 points, while Sundowns ended on 73.
Mamelodi Sundowns Set Sights on CAF Champions League Glory and 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
Now, Sundowns will turn their attention to the CAF Champions League as they take on Pyramids over two legs in the final of the competition. The first leg will be at Loftus on Saturday, with the return fixture a week later at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.
Should Sundowns win the final, there will be no dispute that they are the best team in Africa. It would go well with their other title, as the richest club on the continent.
Sundowns will also be in action in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup next month.
Not that they were struggling for cash, but Mamelodi Sundowns will earn a handy R174 million simply for playing in the competition.
It seems then, the domination of Sundowns is set to continue at least for a few more years while teams like Pirates have to be content with the cup competitions on offer.
Ultimately, having one team dominate like Sundowns have - it’s debatable whether that’s actually a good thing but the fact that Bafana Bafana are the strongest they have been in decades surely can’t be just a coincidence.
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