Sundowns’ masterpieces
THE Lucas “Masterpieces” Moripe stadium in the township of Atteridgeville, Pretoria, is home to South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns. It is named after one of the true legends of South African football, Lucas Moripe, who is widely regarded as the greatest ball player that country has known. During his heyday in the early 70s, fans called him “The god of football” — defenders feared him and goalkeepers dreaded his brilliant touches. In recent times, the stadium has become synonymous with the exploits of Sundowns both at home and on the continent — a well-oiled machine that is gazumped both Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. At the heart of their success over the last decade has been the enigmatic Pitso Mosimane.
A student of the game, some have dubbed Mosimane the “Pep Guardiola” of African football, after the Spanish maestro whose tactical innovations revolutionised Barcelona and set the foundations for Spain’s World Cup triumph in South Africa, in 2010. His mantra, a quote attributed to Nelson Mandela, “It always looks impossible until somebody does it”, is a challenge that has defined his ambitions, the obstacles he has had to overcome and the triumphs achieved in that pursuit. Exuding confidence and at times a hint of arrogance, Mosimane is a coach that gets the job done.
The trail-blazing coach, who was part of the Bafana Bafana coaching staff at the inaugural FIFA World Cup hosted on the continent, was also appointed Al Ahly's first ever Black coach in 2020.
Just a month after arriving in Cairo to take the reins at arguably the biggest club job on the continent, he won the Egyptian Premier League title, before claiming the Caf Champions League after beating archrivals Zamalek in an all Egyptian affair.
“Jingles” as Mosimane is affectionately called, rang the bell on his Sundowns career after helping the Pretoria-based side to 11 trophies in eight years, in the process transforming them from merely a fashionable side in South Africa to one of the most feared sides in Africa.
Mosimane’s clout was without dispute in his homeland, but his stock shot through the roof when he guided Sundowns to the 2016 CAF Champions League title after beating Zamalek in the final to claim the Brazilians’ first-ever continental prize. Over the next few years, the Sundowns coach would transcend South African football to become a continental icon — a transformation fuelled by impressive victories against some of the aristocrats of African football. Sundowns’ impressive five-nil mauling of Al Ahly in a Champions League quarter-final at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium in the 2018/19 season, sent shockwaves across the continent.
Further wins in North Africa against teams like USM Alger, ES Setif, and stellar performances against Wydad Casablanca and Esperance underlined his pedigree as a tactician and made Mosimane a revered figure in North Africa. A coach who came into each game with a clear plan and a clear strategy was always bound to be a success.
But, the legend of Pitso is only half the story of Sundowns success — a story that cannot be told without the equally important legend of the man who waved the magic wand, Patrice Motsepe.
The billionaire owner of Mamelodi Sundowns who always cuts a dignified figure whenever in public, is as much a product of ambition, vision and the work-ethic needed to bring success to fruition as is Pitso Mosimane. A lawyer by training, Motsepe excelled in the profession before turning his hand successfully to business, notably mining, which has been the bedrock of his business empire.
Motsepe has made a vast fortune over the last three decades reportedly worth over US$3 billion, a fortune that enabled him to purchase a controlling stake in Sundowns in 2003, before gaining full control of the club the following year.
And now, just as Pitso Mosimane decided to ascend to the very pinnacle of African football by scaling the notoriously treacherous slope that is Egyptian football, Patrice Motsepe too has set his sights on the corner office at CAF headquarters in Cairo.
He has thrown his hat in the ring for the CAF presidency at the elective congress set for the 12th of March in Rabat, Morocco. It’s a move that’s pregnant with both risk and opportunity — just the sort of challenge that excites men of his calibre. The challenges are there for all to see; CAF is an organisation burdened by the weight of corruption and crippled by decades of unprofessionalism. But the need for a president with the acumen, capacity and integrity to sort out this mess is even more glaring.
What Africa needs is more than just passion for the game, but leadership that has capacity and the wherewithal to deliver a professional and modern game for the benefit of all the confederations that make up CAF. A man who will command respect in Zurich as a FIFA vice-president, not because of the votes he brings to the table, but because of his ideas, strategies and the content of his character. With all due respect to the incumbent, Ahmad Ahmad and his predecessor Issa Hayatou, they came across more as figureheads than leaders in their own right able to engage the rest of the footballing world on an equal footing.
Cosafa has backed his candidacy, and rightfully so — a victory for Motsepe will be a victory for the region. The Sundowns owner is a friend of Zimbabwe, whose investment in our game cannot be questioned. Just like Pitso Mosimane who built successive successful teams at Sundowns with Zimbabweans at the core of his success — from Esrom Nyandoro to the likes of Cuthbert Malajila and Khama Billiat — no doubt Patrice Motsepe will see Zimbabwe as being a strategic ally in implementing his revolutionary plan for African football. Zimbabwe has a great opportunity to be at the heart of what could be Motsepe’s finest masterpiece.