Johannesburg - If it were in any other country, the Lucas Moripe Stadium would experience a full house on Wednesday night.
Such is the passion our African counterparts have for football.
When a club in most parts of Africa is involved in a Confederation of African Football match, allegiance takes a backseat – with all the locals putting their weight behind the team involved.
I saw it when I travelled to Lubumbashi in the DRC with Black Leopards when the fans of TP Mazembe joined their FC Lupopo rivals in the stands to try help the team to victory.
It was the same in Omdurman, Sudan, where it felt as though Orlando Pirates were up against the entire country when they tackled an Al Hilal side that enjoyed the support of even the El Merreikh fans.
How grand it would be if Mamelodi Sundowns were to enjoy the same kind of support tonight?
Being the only South African side left in the continental competitions, the Brazilians can do with some help from the 12th man as they seek to overturn a 1-0 defeat from the first leg of the Champions League tie with AS Vita.
Success on Wednesday night will see Sundowns progress to the group stages of Africa’s premier club competition and there can be no denying that one of the things that would help them along, is for the visitors to feel that they are massively outnumbered.
A Lucas Moripe Stadium teeming with vuvuzela-blowing fans will not only unsettle the Congolese but it will give Pitso Mosimane’s men an extra spring in their step.
But for that to happen, South African soccer fans worth their salt should shelve their dislike for Sundowns and see this as a match of national importance.
They did so when Pirates went all the way to last year’s Confederation Cup final, with even Kaizer Chiefs supporters cheering the Buccaneers on at Orlando Stadium.
Yet ,while I’m urging fans to support Sundowns, I also believe that it is incumbent upon the clubs themselves to make an effort to ensure that they make their opposition feel they are playing away.
As a coach, Mosimane can only do so much to prepare the team and the players can only give it their best.
But it is up to the support structures, such as the marketing department and supporters’ department, to ensure that the stadium is packed to capacity.
The stadium in Atteridgeville is pretty small and surely filling it up cannot be that difficult.
In situations such as Wednesday night, surely Sundowns can afford to charge half price for admission, if not waive the whole ticket cost.
But in the long run South African clubs’ biggest challenge is to make their fans buy into the fact that continental success is much bigger than dominating the local league.
The Star