JOHANNESBURG - Often the comparison between Mamelodi Sundowns and TP Mazembe appears to only involve their two rich owners - billionaire Patrice Motsepe and Moise Katumbi, a Congolese politician and businessman who has turned Mazembe into an African football powerhouse.
But the two clubs are much more aligned than that.
Here’s how:
Champions League
Sundowns host Mazembe at Loftus Versfeld tonight in the Super Cup and earned the right to play at home following their Champions League triumph in October last year.
The visitors were crowned winners of the less prestigious, but still coveted, Confederations Cup not long after and get the once-off opportunity to prove who deserves the tag of African champions more.
Mazembe are veterans at this, as Downs coach Pitso Mosimane pointed out earlier in the week, and their counterparts have some way to go to catch up. However, to have finally won their first continental title and now constantly rubbing shoulders with Africa’s best even in friendly matches is evidence of just how hungry the Brazilians are.
Both Motsepe and Katumbi are never shy to pour further resources into their teams to make them stronger than the previous season, with the former not even desperate for a shirt sponsor contract like most of his South African counterparts.
Player power
Sundowns may have appeared desperate to block winger Keagan Dolly’s move to French Lique 1 side Montpellier during the January transfer window, but the truth is that they had long brought in replacements with Yannick Zakri and Thapelo Morena.
It has always been implied that Motsepe can buy any player on a coach’s wish list, and this statement only really manifested once Mosimane was appointed coach in December 2012, with the ex-Bafana mentor recruiting as many as 16 players in his first full season and winning the championship.
Mazembe are no different. Rainford Kalaba, pictured, a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations winner with Zambia, has been linked with so many clubs over the years but has remained a key member of the club because of it’s stature and staying power.
Katumbi has undoubtedly made it worth his while financially to stay committed.
With the trio of Jonathan Bolingi, Merveille Bope and Christian Luyindama moving to Belgian side Standard Liege recently, Mazembe have not need needed to plead poverty as far as playing personnel goes, being able to welcome back Tresor Mputu and Deo Kanda to make sure they are still quite potent in attack.
Motsepe v Katumbi
The two football blessers might decide to sit side by side to watch the Super Cup, possibly exchanging notes on how to continue dominating Africa.
Sundowns, for one, have grown in leaps and bounds since Mazembe knocked them out of the Champions League in the early round of the 2015 tournament.
The Congolese outfit suffered what would have been a shock 1-0 defeat in the first leg at Loftus, but overpowered the Brazilians in the return match, thumping them 3-1 to progress and go on to win the competition several months later.
Patrice Carteron, the then Mazembe coach, argued that Sundowns were their toughest opponents en route to clinching the trophy. It’s no surprise then that Downs succeeded them as champions, albeit after being thrown a life-line and ordered back into the Champions League when AS Vita, Mazembe’s domestic rivals, were disqualified.