Sundowns are true African brand

The Brazilians coach, however, surely deserves to do so on his own terms, and that includes being rewarded with a lucrative new contract by Patrice Motsepe for all he has achieved in his time at Choorklop.

Mosimane has built a Sundowns team that has become the envy of every other club in South Africa, however much Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates may protest such a statement. If he comes across as brash, Mosimane has the trophies to back it up – four Absa Premiership titles, and a Caf Champions League crown to boot, while turning Sundowns into a constant threat in Africa’s elite competition.

The Sundowns head coach has become known across the continent for his exploits, so much so that he was hired as an analyst by the host broadcaster for the recent 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals in football-mad Egypt.

If Mosimane did leave Sundowns, and he has given every indication this week that he wants to stay, no doubt some of the biggest clubs on the continent would crane their necks his way, with Zamalek and Al-Ahly two Cairo giants that could well attract a man of his ambitions. Whatever he says, Mosimane would surely love to get a chance with Bafana Bafana again too, though right now, there is not a chance the South African Football Association would be able to afford him.

And yet, there seems little reason for Mosimane to want to walk out on Sundowns, or indeed for Sundowns not to want to keep him, however high his salary demands. Motsepe has spoken before about wanting Mosimane to be the Alex Ferguson of Sundowns, and Ferguson was United head coach for 27 years. Signed up by Sundowns in 2012, Mosimane still has some way to go to match that. It is rare for coaches to last as long as Mosimane has on the merry-go-round of Premier Soccer League coaching. He is the longest-serving coach in the top flight, just ahead of Gavin Hunt, who joined Bidvest Wits in 2013 from SuperSport United.

For Sundowns, meanwhile, there is also the warning sent out by the departure of Ferguson and Wenger. Manchester United are still struggling to recover after Ferguson left them, with a succession of coaches coming and going, and with limited success. And Arsenal fans so delighted by the departure of Wenger may well now be pining for his return after the disaster that was Unai Emery. The grass is not always greener, and there is little reason for Motsepe, who is not exactly struggling for cash, to part ways with a man who continues to lead Sundowns impressively.

This season, the side are yet again in the group stages of the Caf Champions League, are still close enough to Kaizer Chiefs to catch them in the race for the Absa Premiership, and have reached the Telkom Knockout final, where this month they have a shot for a first piece of domestic knockout silverware in some time, against Maritzburg United at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Mosimane has coped admirably with the departure to Europe of key players like Keagan Dolly, Bongani Zungu and Percy Tau, while Khama Billat and Ramahlwe Mphahlele also left for Kaizer Chiefs. Sundowns certainly have the advantage of being the richest club and need to keep Mosimane.

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