Pitso Mosimane has expressed his burning desire to compete against some of the world’s best in the Fifa Club World Cup again.
But he knows that the route to the super clubs is through conquering top clubs on your own continent. That means winning the CAF Champions League.
The ever-ambitious Mosimane participated in the Club World Cup in 2016 following Sundowns’ Champions League success in toppling Egyptian giants Zamalek in the final of the competition.
The Brazilians failed to get past the first round in the Fifa club tournament that was hosted in Japan but it was an unforgettable experience for Mosimane and his troops. Now Mosimane has set himself that target as a way of self-motivation towards fighting for the second star on the Sundowns badge or finishing in the top three.
“Last year we finished fourth in the league. The new format takes three, if I’m not mistaken. We have a chance,” Mosimane said.
In the Champions League, Sundowns are pitted against Petro de Luanda of Angola, Wydad Casablanca from Morocco and USM Alger of Algeria in what is seen as a very tricky group.
Fifa recently announced the extension of teams in the Fifa Club World Cup. The competition will accommodate 24 clubs in the 2021 edition in China. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will be represented by three clubs while Europe will have the privilege of sending eight teams.
Mosimane wants Sundowns to be part of that tournament.
“We’ve been there. It is always good to see the emblems of Real Madrid and other top teams on the same field with the Mamelodi Sundowns emblem,” he added.
Mosimane is elated that other South African teams are starting to take the continental competitions seriously. Bidvest Wits have qualified for the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup.
“I believe South African teams have a chance to do it and (Bidvest) Wits are showing that they can do it. I’ve always spoken about Wits, that they can do it. This team is a strong and capable side. I’ve seen Wits playing against Al Ahly and they lost narrowly. I’ve always said that Wits has the team to play in Africa. They are showing it at the CAF Confederation Cup that they have a team,” Mosimane stated.
The next step for Wits will be to advance to the knockout stage of the Confederation Cup.