Now that a television blackout will be a thing of the past in the group stages phase of the CAF Champions League, Mamelodi Sundowns defenders Thabo Nthethe and Wayne Arendse believe even the officiating - often such a contentious issue in continental tournaments every year - will be of the highest quality.
TV rights rest with French company Sports Five, who secured deals with SuperSport and SABC to broadcast the games from the last eight of the competition up until the final in October sometime ago. There is usually also a marketing overdrive for revenue purposes when the Champions League reaches the group stages, and the Sundowns central pairing duo are counting on those factors to give them a fighting chance of clinching the title.
“I believe that once you reach the group stages, that is when most people recognise the tournament,” said Nthethe who will captain Sundowns in the absence of Ramahlwe Mphahlele away to Algeria’s ES Setif in their Group B opener tomorrow night. “For the players as well, we have to up our game and do well because you never know who will be watching and can change your career. We really wanted to reach this phase of the tournament even last season (Sundowns were knocked out by eventual winners TP Mazembe in the first round), but we were unfortunate not to.”
Sundowns cried foul when they travelled to Ghana to face Medeama SC in the Confederation Cup, the less prestigious of the two competitions, carrying a 3-1 lead that was surprisingly overturned in the second leg in May with the hosts winning 2-0 against the Brazilians, who finished the game with a man down after goalkeeper Denis Onyango was sent off for a reckless challenge. But they were thrown a lifeline when CAF reinstated them into the Champions League having disqualified AS Vita for fielding an ineligible player.
Pitso Mosimane, who had a confrontation with a Medeama fan in the dug out during their defeat, kept nodding in agreement with the notion that referees appointed by CAF during the group stages of Africa’s premier club competition were among the best the continent has to offer. Here is to hoping it is all fair and square in Algeria tomorrow night (11:15pm SA time). And Arendse argued that it only made sense for CAF to assign the creame of the crop to these massive games.
“We also know that the pitches we will be playing on are more suitable to our playing style than the ones in the earlier rounds. I think we just need to go out there and play our normal game because we know the officials who will be in charge are the top ones,” Arendse explained. “We are playing a very good team in Setif, but likewise, we are a very solid team. We are going there hoping to come away with a (positive) result.”
Enyimba from Nigeria and Egypt’s Zamalek, who have won the Champions League five times, complete Group B and will face off a day later. - The Star
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