The Mamelodi Sundowns squad and technical team can look forward to juicy bonuses amounting to a net R5-million if they win the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and the Absa Cup — but joint coach Neil Tovey said on Tuesday attention at the Chloorkop club is currently focused on the silverware that goes with the PSL’s major titles.
”It’s a standard procedure at the club,” confirmed Tovey on the eve of Wednesday night’s critical Pretoria derby against Supersport United, ”for the technical staff and players to share the prize money for winning a major title.
”But it’s now long overdue for Sundowns to capture one of these trophies again, and it is not the money that will be the main motivator in the run-in to Premier League and Absa Cup honours.”
Sundowns, who currently head the PSL log table by a single point from Orlando Pirates with both having three games to complete their programme, were on Tuesday drawn to play Kaizer Chiefs in the Absa Cup semifinals.
”We face a daunting task to win both titles,” said the Sundowns coach, ”but it’s also an exciting challenge to be in the running for both honours at the run-in to the season.”
Pirates, similarly placed with a chance of winning both the PSL and Absa Cup titles, face unpredictable Dynamos at Ellis Park on Wednesday night — and a defeat would be nothing short of a calamity for the Buccaneers.
Not only are Pirates a point behind the Brazilians in the title chase, but they also have an infinitely inferior goal difference — something that would be the deciding factor in deciding PSL honours if teams finished level on points..
But Sundowns have found beating intense rivals Supersport no easy task in recent years and the M-Net club will surely relish upsetting the applecart in the championship race.
Sundowns are likely to field a similar line-up to that which accounted for Bloemfontein Young Tigers in the Absa Cup quarterfinal on Sunday, with the Brazilians, no doubt, hoping that articulate Venezuelan international striker Jose Torrealba continues his impressive scoring streak. — Sapa