South African club soccer faces a reality check on Saturday when Mamelodi Sundowns host title holders al-Ahly of Egypt in an African Champions League final-round qualifier.
Never slow to boast, South African players, officials and supporters believe their multimillion-dollar soccer show is the best on a continent where many trophy winners are lucky to receive a medal.
But when it comes to the true test of strength — winning the annual African Champions League — South Africa fall far short of countries such as Egypt, Morocco and Nigeria.
Johannesburg has had but one Champions League-winning parade through its wide, often congested streets, and that was 12 years ago when Orlando Pirates stunned Asec 1-0 in Côte d’Ivoire after a drawn first leg.
Sundowns made the 2001 final only to come off a poor second best against Ahly with a draw before a pitifully small crowd in Pretoria followed by a three-goal roasting before 80 000 Egyptians.
Many other campaigns by a variety of clubs have ended surprisingly early, leading to an increasing lack of interest from the public and media in the premier African Football Confederation club competition.
However, the arrival in South Africa of five-time African champions Ahly has triggered interest with the build-up rivalling stories on the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies for back-page space.
Sundowns are about to retain the domestic title and have a soft quarterfinals draw in the national cup, leaving Ahly as the centre of attention for experienced coach Gordon Igesund and his players.
About to win the South African championship with a fourth club, former Austria-based professional Igesund craves international success and is relishing the chance to confront the African club of the century.
”We admire what Ahly have done for African football and acknowledge their achievements, but our clash on Saturday is all about form, not pedigree,” he said on Friday. ”I have studied many DVDs of Ahly, analysing their set pieces, their stars and how they build attacks. My players know what is expected of them and the worst result I will accept is a goalless draw.”
Counterpart Manuel Jose, Portuguese mastermind of the Ahly Champions League triumphs of 2001, 2005 and 2006, believes the winner of the tie can go to claim the $1-million top prize and qualify for the Fifa world championship.
”This will be our toughest match in the Champions League this year. Ahly and Sundowns have much in common, dominating domestically and supplying many players to the national squads,” he said.
Where Jose scores over Igesund is in experience, with goalkeeper Essam al-Hadary, defender Wael Gomaa, midfielder Mohamed Shawky and strikers Flavio Amado and Emad Moteab forming a powerful spine.
Sundowns boast a good goalkeeper in Calvin Marlin, while Surprise Moriri is an inventive midfielder and Venezuelan striker Jose Torrealba scores regularly, but Ahly promise to provide a test they seldom experience in South Africa.
Ahly are among seven Champions League title holders in action on Saturday and Sunday with the Abidjan clash of Asec and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco bringing together two.
Another clash of former winners pits Tout Puissant Mazembe Englebert of the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of just three clubs to defend the title successfully, against FAR Rabat of Morocco in Kinshasa.
Esperance of Tunisia, winners once and runners-up twice, host Young Africans of Tanzania, while two-time holders Jeunesse Sportive Kabylie of Algeria tackle Cotonsport Garoua in north-western Cameroon.
Nasarawa United of Nigeria entertain al-Hilal of Sudan, Maranatha Fiokpo of Togo host Etoile Sahel of Tunisia and Etoile of Congo meet al-Ittihad of Libya in other first leg fixtures.
Return matches are scheduled for the weekend of April 20 to 22, with the eight winners split into two groups and the losers entering the second-tier African Confederation Cup. — Sapa-AFP