Tefu urges SA sides to chase more CAF glory
SUPERSPORT United defender Tefu Mashamaite has urged SA’s representatives in the two CAF club competitions to emulate Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns by doing well in their respective competitions this year.
Together with Platinum Stars, SuperSport progressed to the first round of the CAF Confederation Cup at the weekend, while Bidvest Wits joined defending champions Sundowns in the first round of the Champions League.
By reaching the final of the Champions League in 2013, Pirates increased SA’s representatives from just one to two in both the Champions League and Confederation Cup.
SuperSport edged Elgeco Plus of Madagascar 2-1 at Lucas Moripe Stadium in the preliminary round on Sunday. They next face Al AhlyShendi of Sudan in the first round.
“A few years ago it used to be just two teams. Then Pirates and Sundowns did well and they created chances for other South African teams. Now we have four teams participating on the continent. We have to respect Pirates and Sundowns for working so hard to create this opportunity. It’s about inculcating that importance of African competitions. All teams are through, so let’s keep going,” said Mashamaite.
“We do have the quality in our team [to reach the group stages]. We just have to believe in ourselves. We know the conditions outside of South Africa are hostile, so we have to be strong mentally.”
But for now the title-chasing Matsatsantsa have Maritzburg United next on their Absa Premiership schedule at Lucas Moripe Stadium tomorrow (7.30pm).
While they were playing continental football, Kaizer Chiefs moved to the summit and Cape Town City dropped two valuable points against Pirates.
“It’s not a two-horse race, the difference from number one to number five is so little that you just have to be consistent,” said Mashamaite of the title race. “We as SuperSport are not looking at others. We are running our race and focusing on the finish line.”
“It’s all about importance of African football