Why do South African clubs have such a poor record in the Africa Champions League?
This is the burning question that comes to mind as Premier Soccer League champions SuperSport and Ajax Cape Town carry the South African flag in the second round of the biggest club competition on the continent this weekend.
Matsatsantsa are away to Kampala City Council (KCC) of Uganda on Friday and the Urban Warriors host Zimbabwe champions Monomotapa on Saturday in a bid to end this barren spell.
The question of the Champions trophy eluding the PSL for the past 13 years begs for a better answer than what would be put forward by the multitudes of self-appointed soccer fundis who read the game so well from the grandstands each weekend.
The same great ‘referees†who, from their vantage point in the terraces, see better than the man holding the whistle at the centre of the pitch and his two assistants put together. Soccer fans are truly an amusing lot.
However, the failure of South African clubs to challenge North and West African clubs requires a more informed view.
The Mail & Guardian caught up with Mark Fish, a vital cog of that great Pirates class of 1995, which brought home the only Champions League winners medal to date. It was a great side with talented players in the mould of the combative Linda Buthelezi, John Moeti, Marc Bachelor, William Okpara, Gavin Lane and Brendan Silent, to name just a few stars of that era with immense mental strength.
‘The players’ attitude is central in this competition. They must forget about the comforts of our league and be prepared to play under the most difficult conditions,†said Fish.
The former Bafana and Bucs star emphasised that SuperSport and Ajax should brace themselves for the most appalling conditions.
‘Expect the worst in Africa’
‘You must expect the worst when you go into Africa. Things we take for granted like food, accommodation and training facilities are used as psychological warfare in some parts of the continent. You have to be mentally prepared for such tactics,†he said.
Money certainly plays a huge role in these types of competition in Europe.
The European Champions League — the equivalent of the African version — rotates around the big leagues of that continent. Clubs from the English Premiership, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A have almost taken turns in winning it. Only a Porto side that had Benni McCarthy and was coached by a man who calls himself the ‘Special One†but was born José Mourinho temporarily broke the stranglehold of the Big Four leagues in 2004.
It was hardly surprising that the coach and players of that Portuguese club were on the next plane to visit these European leagues soon after upsetting the applecart. Unlike in Europe, it appears that money counts for little in Africa.
The SA Premier Soccer League has grown by leaps and bounds since its formation in 1996. Backed by a R1,6-billion SuperSport television rights cash injection, the Premiership is easily one of the most financially flush leagues in the world.
In fact it is among the top 20 richest leagues in the world. The PSL boasts a coach who earns R760 000 a month, a player who takes home R200 000 and several more who earn above the R100 000 barrier.
KCC may have a fit when they discover that their opponents today top the log in a country with a cool R10-million for the winners. Little-known Monomotapa would be forgiven for feeling out of pocket against Ajax Cape Town on Saturday should they learn that the Urban Warriors banked R4,25-million when they won the Telkom challenge late last year.
Throw in the Nedbank Cup, the richest domestic knockout competition in Africa, which carries a winners’ cheque of R6-million. If this were Europe the Champions League trophy would be spending more time on these shores.
SuperSport coach Gavin Hunt is under no illusions about the vagaries of African soccer. He downplayed Ugandan media reports suggesting that he planted spies to monitor KCC preparations. ‘That is rubbish but I have watched some videos and DVDs of their past games. We also have a contingency plan to counter any accommodation and food challenges we may encounter.â€
Great start
Matsatsantsa had a great start in this campaign when they thumped Mauritian Champions 8-2 on aggregate in the first round. Hunt correctly pointed out that KCC, 3-2 victors over Mozambique giants Ferroviaro in the first round, are a different proposition.
‘KCC are obviously much stronger than the Mauritians but it’s great that we are playing them away first before the return leg at home. I would be happy to return with an away goal.â€
Urban Warriors assistant coach Wilfred Mugeyi is also familiar with the challenges of this competition ahead of hosting Monomotapa tomorrow in Cape Town. He was in the Ajax team of 2004 that blazed the African trail.
‘We have been working on building the mental strength of the players. We have prepared well for the Zimbabweans but this is a long campaign and these are early days yet,†he said.
He echoed Fish’s sentiments that the test of character will come with a tour further up Africa. ‘We need to condition our players for that eventuality. Bad officiating and other factors that should not have a place in football come into play in West and North Africa,†said Mugeyi.
Fish underlined the importance of this tournament to South Africa. ‘When Pirates won the Champions League in 1995, Bafana Bafana won the Africa Cup of Nations the following year. Our success kicked in a new era for South African football,†said Fish.
Maybe, just maybe, if this trophy makes a return to South Africa, it could serve as a great omen for Bafana when they host the World Cup next year.