Mamelodi Sundowns did what no other South African club have managed in the past 21 years – win Africa’s premier club prize, the Champions League, after a tough away trip to Egyptian giants Zamalek. KICK OFF’s Fabio De Dominicis was with the team for the entire duration of their stay in Alexandria, and gives his account of what went on behind the scenes as the Brazilians claimed Africa’s biggest accolade.
Take whatever image you have of a sun-filled holiday destination, the immense Giza pyramids protruding from a barren landscape, the emerald blue Nile river flowing by, or any other pre-conceived notions of what an away fixture in Egypt en route to CAF Champions League glory may be like. Mamelodi Sundowns had none of that, as they stuck to their guns in trying conditions to achieve the coveted star.
Cairo is hot, dry and dusty, and covered in a brown haze as the squad touch down in the Egyptian capital, before a short connecting flight north to Alexandria. It’s been a long and tiring trip since their hero’s send-off at OR Tambo International, and the players are given the rest of their first day in Egypt to rest.
Barely a few hours since their arrival, and the South Africans already face their first dilemma: Zamalek have not given the team a venue to hold a training session, despite Masandawana’s kind hospitality in organising a stadium each day the Egyptians had been in South Africa a week prior. The Sundowns camp is up in arms, yet are not surprised at their opponent’s attempts at derailing their preparations ahead of the big final.
As is required when on tour, coach Pitso Mosimane avails himself for media interviews, discussing his side’s trip, preparations and mental state, considering Zamalek’s antics in failing to provide a training venue for his team. He’s wearing a custom-made Sundowns jersey with the number 50 on the back, and the fixture, date and stadium name of Sunday’s final on the front. “I don’t know why they gave me the number 50 – it doesn’t mean anything to me. But what matters is what’s on the front,” he adds as he points to the Sundowns logo, before posing for a picture.
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Denne historien er fra December 2016-utgaven av Kickoff.
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