/ 10 February 2017

Downs spark local clubs’ interest in things up north

High aim: Gavin Hunt wants Wits to make an impression.
High aim: Gavin Hunt wants Wits to make an impression.

The incredible journey that took Patrice Motsepe’s Mamelodi Sundowns to the summit of African football may have inspired a rethink and change of attitude by South African clubs to pan-African club competitions.

The 2017 Confederation of African Football (CAF) club tournaments in both the Champions League and the Confederation Cup gets underway this weekend, with Bidvest Wits travelling to Réunion to face minnows Saint Louisanne in a Champions League tie, and defending champions Downs have received a bye into the next round.

“I hope what Sundowns have achieved in Africa and putting the country on top of the pile last year will encourage more local clubs to start taking African club competitions more seriously,” said South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan.

For the Students, it gets significantly tougher if they negotiate their way past the islanders, as Egyptian giants Al Ahly lie in wait in the first round. It’s a tie that should give an indication of how much Wits have progressed since Gavin Hunt took charge three years ago.

“I have always wanted to do well in the Champions League,” Hunt said. After making additions to his squad and welcoming James Keene and Phakamani Mahlambi back from injury, Hunt declared: “We will try to challenge for it and it does not matter who we play, we will give it a go.

“Obviously the prestige is more important than any fortune you make from it. I feel we have got a good squad to go there and compete. I have put in good teams in the past and we were not good enough; we got knocked out.”

But maybe more encouraging this time around is that, although Sundowns won $1.5-million last year, the CAF has increased the prize money for the winners to $2.5-million.

SuperSport United hosts little-known Elgeco from Madagascar, and Platinum Stars, by virtue of finishing third in the last league championship, will face UD Songo from Mozambique.

In the past, local clubs have diplomatically shunned African club competitions by deliberately fielding weakened line-ups and unashamedly confessing they would rather concentrate on domestic competitions, which are financially more rewarding than pan-African club competitions.