Johannesburg - In 1995 Hlompho Kekana, then 10, watched the CAF Champions League final with excitement as Orlando Pirates were crowned African champions.From that day Kekana developed a desire to one day be adorned with the same honour as some of his role models.
“I want to win it,” said the Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder of his desire to hoist the CAF Champions League trophy. “Some of my role models have won this trophy so I would be very proud to win it too.
“The stars I grew up admiring - Mark Fish and Edward Motale - were in that team. Those are the players I used to look up to. Those guys inspired us when we were kids. So I watched Champions League as a kid and saw it as a young man and I want it now that I am a part of it.”
That no South African team has won the tournament since Pirates has Kekana is itching in anticipation. The midfield dynamo has won almost all there is to win in domestic football.
He has won the league title several times with Sundowns and SuperSport United. He also has a collection of medals from the cup competitions. The 31-year-old wants to add the prestigious African trophy to his glittering cabinet.
”Champions League is very important for a player like me because I just love to win. I like to win every trophy that I take part in. I want to win every match. I like the taste of victory so I want to continue. This tournament is going to be very important in my career. I would be grateful to get to the final and win it. Since then (1995), no team from South Africa has won the trophy, but Sundowns and Pirates reached the final. To reach the final, you have to win your matches and to win matches you have to play well.”
Kekana and his teammates will be out to win when they visit Egyptians giants Zamalek for a Group B clash on Sunday. Sundowns lead Group B with three points while Zamalek are second with the same number of points. Nigerian outfit Enyimba FC are at the bottom of the group with no points. Kekana knows Sundowns will have to fight to get any points in Cairo.
”It’s going to be fireworks. They are a big team and they have experience playing in this competition. If you look at their history, they are huge. We are underdogs and they are playing at home. We have to make sure that we don’t concede. If we don’t we will have a chance to win. We will create chances but we need to take them,” said Kekana.
The Bafana Bafana midfielder and his teammates have been working on strategies and tactics as to how to overcome a side that has won the Champions League five times.
“Preparations are on course. The boys are preparing well and they are happy and ready for the Zamalek. In this competition, you stand a great chance if you win all your games so we have to focus. We have to collect the points. If we don’t win the match, the worse we can take is a draw. We are very determined.
“We are facing a team with lots of experience in this tournament. Though they are a big team, they are beatable. We are going there prepared,” said Kekana, who along with the team will jet off to Cairo on Wednesday night.
The Star