The Sky is the Limit for Motsepe

23 October 2016 - 02:00 By BARENG-BATHO KORTJAAS

A decade ago, a bunch of Madagascan beach bums bundled Mamelodi Sundowns out of the Caf Champions League. Back in 2006, USCA Foot of Madagascar shamed Sundowns with a second-round stage elimination from the premier continental club competition.Boy oh boy, how the Brazilians have bridged that gap with such brilliance. So much so that the South Africans who slog by the "Sky is the Limit" slogan stand 90 minutes away from claiming a star in the sky.Beating five-time champions Zamalek of Egypt tonight will satisfy a 15-year craving of club president Patrice Thlopane Motsepe.story_article_left1Upon buying Sundowns from the Tsichlas and Krok families in 2003, Motsepe's burning desire was to conquer Africa.Sixteen years later, and after many millions of rands pumped into the club, the mining magnate is on the cusp of realising his long-cherished dream.It's more than 20 years after 54-year-old Motsepe began his rise into almost every South African's consciousness.He began that journey as a marginal gold miner in Free State's rich fields. In that time, he has emerged as one of Africa's richest men, with a vast mining and growing financial empire.Today his family sits at the centre dinner table of South Africa's major corporate and political events.And tonight, his first love, Sundowns, take centre stage in the continent's most prized contest. It's been quite an eventful two decades for the man from Ga-Rankuwa.At a broader political level, this is a story of the stability of Sundowns. Buoyed by his billions, the businessman's entry into the beautiful game of billions has courted criticism in certain quarters.With deep pockets, Motsepe was viewed as an upstart who came into football flaunting his wealth and upset the applecart of the traditional football set-up.Before his entry into the game, it was Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and the rest.After his arrival, Sundowns not only snapped up every top player in the market, but they paid top dollar, leading to complaints about the creation of an artificial market.That approach has changed with the passage of time. Nowadays, Sundowns buy what they need, not what they want.Lately some of the players they have signed are different from the typical Downs player of yesteryear.What has been a fault line has been the fickle nature of his hiring and firing of head coaches.The coaching turnaround at Sundowns rivals that of the trigger-happy mandarins at the South African Football Association.Motsepe makes no bones about the fact that he is inspired by the Pirates crusades on the African continent - champions in 1995, runners-up in 2013 and silver medalists in the Confederation Cup last year.block_quotes_start Nobody remembers that you were in the finals; so the most important thing was to motivate them block_quotes_endSundowns themselves have scaled the dizzy heights of African football. They were beaten finalists in 2001. They drew 1-1 at home against Egyptian giants Al Ahly and were annihilated 3-0 in Cairo to go down 4-1 on aggregate.They're in prime position going into tonight's second-leg encounter, armed with a healthy 3-0 lead from the first leg. It has been a helluva fairytale ride for the men from Tshwane.After Sundowns beat Zesco United 3-2 to reach the final, Motsepe said: "The most important thing that was said is we still have a long way to go. I think it's correct to say Pitso [Mosimane] and the players did wonderful work. They made us all very proud. But nobody remembers number two."Nobody remembers that you were in the finals; so the most important thing was to motivate them. I mean we've won the league many times, but to represent your country [in the Champions League] is the greatest honour." As they wish upon a star, the sky is the limit for Motsepe and his mellow-yellow flock.JOURNEY TO THE FINALPRELIMINARY ROUND:Chicken Inn 1 - Mamelodi Sundowns 0, Mamelodi Sundowns 2- Chicken Inn 0; Mamelodi Sundowns 2 - AC Leopards 1, AC Leopards 1 - Mamelodi Sundowns 1; AS Vita Club 1 - Mamelodi Sundowns 0, Mamelodi Sundowns 2 - Vita 1.GROUP STAGE:E. S. Setifienne 0 - Mamelodi Sundowns 2, Mamelodi Sundowns 2 - Enyimba 1, Zamalek 1 - Mamelodi Sundowns 2, Mamelodi Mamelodi Sundowns 1 - Zamalek 0, Mamelodi Sundowns v E. S Setifienne result expunged and E. S. Setifienne were expelled from the competition due to crowd violence.SEMIFINALS:Zesco United 2 - Mamelodi Sundowns 1, Mamelodi Sundowns 2 - Zesco United 0,FINAL:Mamelodi Sundowns 3 - Zamalek 0,bbk@sundaytimes.co.za..

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