Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria in the Gauteng province that plays in the Premier Soccer League, the first tier of South African football league system. Founded in the 1970s, the team plays its home games in the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
Sundowns is owned by South African business magnate Patrice Motsepe and is one of the most valuable clubs in Africa, by market value.[2] The club takes pride in its unique style of attacking play, locally dubbed "Shoe Shine & Piano" which includes combinations of quick, short passes on the ground and this is likened to the Spanish Tiki-taka and Total Football. Over the years, this style of play has been reflected in its Youth teams and women's football team.
History
1964-1970: Beginnings
Sundowns Football Club originated around Marabastad, a cosmopolitan area north west of the Pretoria CBD in the early sixties, where it was formed by a group of youngsters residing in the area. The club mentions individuals such as Frank "ABC" Motsepe, Roy Fischer, Ingle Singh and Bernard Hartze and as part of its founding young stars.[3] The newly established team was named Marabastad Sundowns after an amateur club called Sundowns, which existed in the 1940s, also formed in Marabastad.[4]
Head quaters of Mamelodi Sundowns FC in Chloorkop in Pretoria.
In 1969, Ingle "Jinx" Sigh, one of the founding players for Sundowns and later owner of both Marabastad Sundowns and Pretoria City (which later became SuperSport United F.C.),[5] decided to sell the club to Dr. Bonny Sebotsane, Dr. Motsiri Itsweng and philanthropist Joseph Ntshimane "Fish" Kekana. The club was moved to the nearby township of Mamelodi and was officially established and renamed as Mamelodi Sundowns in 1970.[6]
1970-1988: Zola Mahobe, Stan Tshabalala and the "Mr Cool" Years
The club was affiliated with the Federation Professional Football League in 1973 and in the same year reached the finals of the Coca-Cola Cup, where they played against Berea United and lost 5–3.
In 1978, the Federation Professional League threw their weight behind the then National Professional Soccer League. This meant the end of the Federation Professional League and the subsequent relegation of Sundowns to the second division. For five years 'Downs battled to gain promotion and managed to earn its place in NPSL in 1983, but in their first season in top-flight football, they found the going difficult and during that period the Sundowns' management resolved to disband the club, until new owner Zola Mahobe came on board in 1985.[7]
In the same year, 1985, South African football was the first sport in the country to become non-racial and the National Soccer League was formed, incorporating the top clubs in the country, including Sundowns. Dave Barber was in charge at the start of the new National Soccer League era but his tenure came to a swift end after the club found itself at the foot of the table and Zola Mahobe appointed Walter da Silver. Da Silver later quit after 5 games before the end of the season, claiming that Mahobe was interfering in team selection.[8]
Zola Mahobe appointed Ben Segale as the coach, and the team ended the 1985 season in a flourish by winning the last 4 games to finish 11th place, which was a big improvement on their previous two top flight seasons. Under Mahobe, Sundowns fortunes changed for the better as they began to challenge for top honours in the domestic league. The big spending Sundowns boss recruited the services of elite South African footballers on a quest for supremacy, and changed their kit to resemble that of the Brazilian national team, earning them their nickname, "the Brazilians".[9]
Mahobe went to Soweto to acquire the services of the highly rated coach Stanley "Screamer" Tshabalala, who was assisting Blackpool at the time, to lead the ambitious Sundowns team. Under the tutelage of Screamer Tshabalala, Sundowns played an entertaining and effective brand of football which became known as "The Shoe Shine and Piano." By the end of 1986, the club had won the Mainstay cup in a 1-0 brawl against Jomo Cosmos in Ellis Park and goalkeeper, Mark Anderson was voted Footballer of the Year as new players kept arriving. The next season, they finished third in the league, just three points behind champions Cosmos.
Sundowns were flying in 1988, with a victory against cross-town rivals Arcadia in the final of BP Top Eight Cup, and then later beating them again for the Ohlsson's Challenge Cup.[10] Despite winning two trophies that year, trouble was brewing in the camp when players, led by Anderson demanded the resignation of coach Tshabalala and his assistant Trot Moloto. Stan resigned from his position, with a record of 54 wins, 29 draws and 25 losses. Captain, Mike Ntombela took charge over the club for four games while the management looked for a coach. [11]
In the same year, the ownership of the club fell into the hands of Standard Bank, which repossessed the club from Zola Mahobe. The club went into liquidation and the football family Angelo and Natasha Tsichlas spoke to the bank and saved the club. They then formed a company with Abe Krok and bought 100% of the club.
1988-1995: Tsichlas/Krok leadership and First Championship
Chilean coach, Mario Tuane and his assistant Angelo Tsichlas took charge of a club at the top of the table and led it to its first league championship. There were rapturous celebrations at HM Pitje Stadium after Sundowns gained an unassailable point lead over Cosmos. However, the club could not defend the Ohlsson's challenge and BP Top Eight crowns and the Tuane era came to an end, with Angelo Tsichlas taking charge of the team as a caretaker coach until the club appointed Trott Moloto, and shortly after Stan Lapot. In the '89 season, Sundowns went on a 7-game unbeaten run in the league, but could only win one of their last 6 matches in the league, which ended the club's season at position 5.
This prompted the return of Stan Tshabalala, who took the team to the top of the table again in 1990. Sundowns only lost 2 league games during the campaign and won its first treble, managing to win the Top Eight Cup and the JPS Knockout Cup against Orlando Pirates with a 2–1 scoreline in the final.
This success was followed by a season of heartbreaking losses in 1991, with the team finishing second place in the league and failing to get into any cup final. 1992 was similar under Augusto Palacios, when Sundowns lost both the Top Eight cup and Castle Challenge to rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates respectively, finishing 6th in the league.
Jeff Butler was appointed as the coach in 1993 after being turfed in a dispute with Bafana Bafana. He led the club to a 3rd league title win in a close 3 point race against Moroka Swallows and a 4th place league finish in the following year. Sundowns qualified for a continental title for the first time in the 1994 African Cup of Champions Clubs but lost to AS Vita Club in the second round.
1995-2004: Premier Soccer League and the Ted Dimitru era
National Soccer League was replaced by Premier Soccer League for the 1996–97 season. After a flurry of coaches and players came, went, and a third Stan Tshabalala stint in unsuccessful '96 and '97 campaigns, Sundowns signed Raphael Chukwu from Nigerian club, Shooting Stars S.C. and appointed Ted Dumitru as head coach in July 1997. Raphael's partnership with Daniel Mudau proved to be prolific in front of posts.[12] Backed up by a super team of standout players such as Joel Masilela, Alex Bapela, Isaac Shai, Roger Feutmba and goalkeeper John Tlale amongst others, Sundowns went on to win three consecutive league titles from 1998 to 2000 as well as being Bob Save Super Bowl winners in 1998 and Rothmans Cup winners in 1999.
In 2001, Sundowns focused their efforts on continental glory and became only the second South African team to reach the prestigious CAF Champions League Final when they defeated Petro Atlético in the semifinals. The club played the 2001 CAF Champions League Final where they were defeated 4–1 on aggregate by Egyptian club Al Ahly.
The club underwent a period of rebuilding after the 1999/2000 season, enduring a period of bad performances in league and cup matches. Sundowns finished 3rd in the 2001/02 season, 10th in the 2002/03 season, 5th in the 2003/04 season and again 3rd in the 2004/05 season.
2004-present: Patrice Motsepe ownership
In 2004, mining magnate Patrice Motsepe bought a 51% share in the club and later took total control of the club by buying the remaining shares, thus becoming the sole owner and shareholder of the club. Under their new owner, Sundowns picked up their first piece of silverware for six years in May 2006 when co-coaches Miguel Gamondi and Neil Tovey oversaw Sundowns' triumph in the PSL, the seventh league title in their history.
After a slow start to the 2006–07 season, Gamondi and Tovey were relieved of their positions, and Gordon Igesund took over as head coach. Under Igesund, Sundowns defended their title in emphatic style, running away with the trophy. They failed to win the 'double', losing to Ajax Cape Town in the 2007 ABSA Cup final.
A stuttering start to the 2009–10 season saw an impressive run through the second half of the season which propelled the club to second position in the final league standings. The club nevertheless parted ways with coach Hristo Stoichkov.
In the 2010–11 season, Antonio Lopez Habas, who was the assistant coach under Stoichkov, took over the reins of the senior team. Sundowns made its best ever start to a League season and topped the league standings at the end of the first round. The second round of the league proved more competitive and Sundowns were in the hunt for the league title until the second last match. Habas resigned in February, citing personal reasons and went back to Spain. Assistant coach Ian Gorowa was appointed as interim head coach.
In 2011, highly rated Dutch tactician Johan Neeskens was appointed as the coach of Sundowns in a bid to awaken the sleeping giant that hadn't won silverware since winning the 2008 Nedbank cup. The Dutch-born coach gave a number of young players from the development team opportunities to impress in the senior team. Even though the Dutch mentor made the team play free-flowing and an entertaining brand of football, his failure to capture silverware led to his demise. On the 4th of March 2012, under the leadership of Neeskens, the team set a remarkable South African record in the Nedbank Cup when they beat Powerlines by a score of 24–0.[13][14] The club went on to lose the 2012 Nedbank final 2–1 to Tshwane rivals Supersport United. His coaching stint at Chloorkop was short-lived as the impatient and demanding Sundowns supporters exerted pressure to the management to sack him. When the team failed to win the 2012 Telkom Knockout final against Bloemfontein Celtic, Neeskens got sacked as the head coach of the Tshwane-based side as the team was also languishing in the relegation zone.
2012-2019: The Pitso Mosimane Era
On the 2nd of December 2012, Pitso Mosimane took over as head coach and guided a turbulent Sundowns season to 9th place in the league. The 2013/14 season began on a better note, with a 6-game unbeaten streak including a 7-1 thumping of AmaZulu F.C. at home. However, in the mid-season, team performances became inconsistent and Sundowns found itself 11 points behind log leaders Kaizer Chiefs. There was still positivity in the camp however, and Mosimane was confident about a good end to the season. On the 9th of March 2014, Sundowns began an 11-game unbeaten streak that would end in an emphatic league title win after a 6-year trophy drought.[15]
The acquisition of Khama Billiat in August 2013, Keagan Dolly and Leonardo Castro in the 2014/15 season bolstered the Sundowns attacking order that was backed by Hlompho Kekana, Samuel Mabunda, Themba Zwane, Teko Modise and academy wonder Percy Tau. The team finished 2nd in the league in the 2014 season, but won both the Nedbank Cup and Telkom Knockout. This would begin an era dominance in the league and Sundowns won the 2015/2016, 2017/2018, 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 league titles on the trot. 2015/16 was a record breaking season, which saw Sundowns become the first team to break the 70 point ceiling in the league since the South African top flight league became a 16-team league system.
In 2017, Mosimane oversaw Sundowns' first CAF Champions League win, which was the goal of owner Patrice Motsepe when he bought the club in 2004. Sundowns were eliminated in the preliminary rounds of the 2016 CAF Champions League, but were placed back in the competition after Congolese team Vita Club were disqualified from the competition for fielding a suspended player.[16] In their journey for gold, Sundowns opened their campaign with an annulled 2–0 win against Algeria'sES Setif courtesy of Mabunda and Khama Billiat goals.
2017 CAF Champions Win
On 26 June 2016, they faced Nigeria club Enyimba International F.C. at Lucas Moripe Stadium. They defeated the Nigerians 2–1 with goals from Leonardo Castro and Wayne Arendse in the 42nd and 78th minutes, respectively. Their good form continued to Egypt, defeating Egyptian club Zamalek SC with a goal from Mabunda in the 17th minute, followed by an Ibrahim leveller in the 36th minute, prevailing with a 66th-minute goal from their star player Khama Billiat, which ended the match in favour of the Brazilians 2–1. They repeated this in the 2nd leg by beating the Egyptian club 1–0 with an own goal from Ali Gabr in the 79th minute. The win assured 'Downs a place in the semifinals, but they needed to end their group stage campaign on a high away against Enyimba. Playing with young players, 'Downs succumbed to their first defeat by 3–1 on a rainy slippery field.
In the semifinals, they faced Zambian team ZESCO United at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, where they lost to quick succession goals just a minute apart in the 54th and 56th minutes from Mwanza. Billiat netted a goal in the 86th minute to bring the score to 2–1, leaving 'Downs with much to do in the second leg. In the second leg, 'Downs did what was needed of them by winning the match 2–0, thanks to a goal from Liberian Anthony Laffor in the 5th minute and the young Percy Tau in the 64th minute. Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. reached the final of the competition for the first time since the 2001 CAF Champions League final (where they lost to Al Ahly SC). They also reached the 4th final for South African clubs (1 win and 2 losses).
In the final, they beat Egypt's Zamalek SC 3–1 on aggregate, claiming their first-ever continental title and becoming only the second South African team to be crowned champions of Africa, after Orlando Pirates.[16]
Mamelodi Sundowns FC in a friendly game against Go Ahead Eagles in 2023.
In 2020, the team underwent changes in coaching personnel for the first time in almost 7 years and an influx of new players after the departure of Pitso Mosimane. The club appointed former assistant coaches, Rhulani Mokwena and Manqoba Mngqithi as joint Head Coaches with the opinion of Manqoba Mngithi prevailing when there isn't consensus.[18] The club's board was keen on appointing South African coaches, and later appointed Steve Komphela as a senior coach to assist the coaching pair. The trio saw off a season which saw the rise of new top scoring marksman, Peter Shalulile and standout signings such as Neo Maema, Rushine De Reuck amongst many others. The club celebrated a successful 5th consecutive league win and a Nedbank Cup which showed that the club was heading in a good direction.
2021/22 was another record breaking league season played under Covid restrictions.
NB: South African football clubs started participating in CAF Competitions in 1993, after 16 years of being banned from FIFA due to the apartheid system. The ban extended from 1976 to 1992.
CAF announced on 24 May 2016 that Mamelodi Sundowns won on walkover after AS Vita Club were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player in their preliminary round tie against Mafunzo. Mamelodi Sundowns played in the Confederation Cup play-off round before they were reinstated to the Champions League.[21]
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