JOHANNESBURG - Pitso Mosimane’s brilliant achievements at Mamelodi Sundowns are well-documented since he took over the reins in 2012. But he says that inspiring the club to the championship this season amid strenuous conditions remains the “sweetest victory” of the lot.
“It’s the most special. The sweetest,” said Mosimane after his team’s coronation on Saturday, thanks to the 3-0 win over Black Leopards that ensured they finished at the summit of the Premiership standings with 59 points.
“I am being emotional about this trophy. How long did it take for my contract to be renewed? How long did I beg to prove that I am the right guy? I earned it and I got it. It has been a difficult season for me at the club.”
He continued: “It has never been difficult as it has been all my years at Mamelodi Sundowns. But if you are strong personally and mentally, and you don’t go out and make excuses but you remain and fight (you’ll succeed).”
It has been a season full of trials and tribulations for Mosimane. His eventful campaign began on the pitch when his troops stuttered early in their Premiership title defence, having had to watch Kaizer Chiefs make the title race a one-way route.
It is not that this was the first time Sundowns were slow starters but Mosimane had at least expected his troops to be able to balance juggling continental and domestic football after a repetition of the same routine in the last seven years.
Those underwhelming outings animated the naysayers who believed that the Brazilians had lost their sparkle. And such talks, which are said to have also been internal, were so rife that they appear to have played an influential role in delaying Mosimane’s contract extension.
But just as the pen was put to paper in April, enter the coronavirus. The domestic season came to a complete halt, while the turmoil between the South African Football Association (Safa) and Premier Soccer League (PSL) whether to resume or cancel the season hit the ceiling.
🏆CHAMP10NS🏆
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) September 5, 2020
We could not have done it without you Masandawana! 👆![CDATA[]]>💛![CDATA[]]>👆![CDATA[]]>💛![CDATA[]]>👆![CDATA[]]>💛
🏆![CDATA[]]>🏆![CDATA[]]>🏆![CDATA[]]>🏆![CDATA[]]>🏆![CDATA[]]>🏆![CDATA[]]>🏆![CDATA[]]>🏆![CDATA[]]>🏆![CDATA[]]>🏆#Sundowns #AbsaPrem #Champ10ns pic.twitter.com/0yaKMH2IRr
If the league had been cancelled and Chiefs crowned champions, Sundowns would have remained second and still qualified for the Caf Champions League next season. But that would ensure the Brazilians, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary, lose out of something crucial – La Decima.
But consent prevailed late in July and football resumed behind closed doors early in August. Again, Sundowns stuttered earlier but in the end, they completed the comeback on the last day of the season as they pipped Chiefs by two points to bag the club’s record tenth Premiership title.
Sundowns are the first team to record a tenth league title in South African football but that success has ensured that Mosimane has added another precious feather in his cap as a coach.
The 56-year-old is currently the most successful coach in local football as he boasts five league titles under his belt, while he’s the second coach, along Gavin Hunt, in the era of the NSL to win titles for three times in a row.
“I am part of La Decima (but not entirely responsible for it),” Mosimane modesty said. “We must give Ted Dumitru, who started it, also credit. Gordon Igesund must also get credit because he helped us to win it, so it’s not about me. I’ve just added."
@Mihlalibaleka