On Monday, Orlando Pirates’ elimination from the CAF Champions League
preliminary round exposed a stark difference in mentality between them and
Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Buccaneers became the only side to be knocked out of the tournament
by a team from Botswana, as it happened for the second time, following
their penalty shoot-out loss to Jwaneng Galaxy in the second-leg, after a
1-1 draw on aggregate.
Former Pirates and Bloemfontein Celtic winger Mark Mayambela believes the
mentality of certain clubs in the PSL towards CAF tournaments is not the
same as Sundowns’.
He suggested that aiming to beat the Brazilians does not mean a club has
reached their level, even if they manage to do so. “The mentality that we
have in South Africa, some clubs, towards CAF Champions League is not so
like Sundowns. They (Sundowns) take it seriously, they want to win, they
are playing it to win it,” Mayambela said on Playing The Field With Shakes
YouTube channel.
“Also sometimes you hear from some coaches how they speak about these
games and if your coach speaks negatively about CAF football, already as a
player you’ve lost that game. “I think the mentality with these kinds of
games does not only start with the players but it starts with the
hierarchy, the coach of the club, the ambition of the club and the
ambition of the coach. If a club plays Sundowns tomorrow and they beat
Sundowns, that doesn’t mean they are at Sundowns’ level. There’s so much
work that is done by Sundowns,” he added.
Pirates’ head coach Jose Riveiro’s first time entering the CAF Champions
League tournament may have been a factor in their elimination, as they
failed to prioritise qualification for the group stages over a chance to
beat Sundowns in the league, which they ultimately lost.
