Sundowns can boost Bafana
Captain believes top side has much to offer
MAMELODI Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana believes Downs can play a similar positive role in transferring their club success to Bafana Bafana to what Barcelona did for 2010 World Cup winners Spain.
African champions Sundowns wrapped up one more continental trophy on Saturday with their 1-0 2017 Caf Super Cup victory against TP Mazembe at Loftus Versfeld.
That victory confirmed that Caf’s team of the year‚ who had the coach of the year in Pitso Mosimane and South Africa-based player of the year in Denis Onyango‚ were without doubt the best club side in Africa last year.
Kekana urged whoever took over as new Bafana coach from sacked Shakes Mashaba to pick Sundowns players so they could similarly influence the national team’s fortunes.
“I think it is always important as players to influence the national team‚” Downs and Bafana defensive midfielder Kekana said.
“If you look at Spain back in the days‚ the Barcelona team were winning everything and that used to influence their national team.
“As Mamelodi Sundowns‚ we are at a stage where we understand each other as players.
“So it would be nice to see at least four or five of our players in the national team‚ to add value and to try and influence the other players‚ showing them that at Sundowns this is what we do for us to achieve what we have.”
The examples of great club sides’ success being transferred to their national teams are plentiful.
The Dutch “Total Football” team of the 1970s drew players and their playing style from a successful Ajax Amsterdam.
Barcelona supplied the core of the players and a perfected “tiki-taka” playing style that made Spain European champions in 2008 and 2012‚ on either side of their World Cup triumph.
Even the transformation of Downs’ opponents on Saturday‚ Mazembe‚ into a continental club force again in the 2000s has had a positive effect on their previously under-achieving Democratic Republic of Congo national team.
Sundowns resume their Absa Premiership campaign against Platinum Stars at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Tuesday (kickoff 7.30pm).
‘ I think it is always important as players to influence the national team