A former Mamelodi Sundowns star has weighed in on the title race,
backing the reigning champions to reclaim the top spot from Orlando Pirates
in the second half of the season.
For the first time in over a decade, a team other than Sundowns leads the
Betway Premiership at the Christmas break, with Orlando Pirates currently
setting the pace. Despite this shift, Sundowns legend Bennett Mnguni remains
confident in his former club’s ability to retain the title.
In an interview with PSLSA, Mnguni refused to rule out Miguel Cardoso’s side
from the championship chase.
“I think football is like that. Sundowns still have the chance to win the
league. Pirates are playing well—playing like they have the last few
seasons. But we’re not playing the way we used to play… still, I can’t rule
ourselves out,” Mnguni stated.
He pointed to potential challenges for Pirates in the second half of the
campaign, including continental commitments and the strain of key players
participating in the Africa Cup of Nations.
“What I know about Pirates is that sometimes they start playing well, and
then after the second round is where they go down. And remember, we
[Sundowns] play in Africa, of course. It’s good when you have players going
to AFCON, because they don’t get rest. But between Pirates and us, I think
we’ve got a similar number of players [affected].”
Mnguni also emphasized that a genuine title contest is beneficial for the
league as a whole.
“Right now, it’s going to be a competition—and that’s actually what we need
in the league. We’ve been struggling to have this kind of competition in
South Africa. It’s good that now we’ve got somebody that can put pressure on
them, you see?”
He concluded by stressing the importance of a winning mentality at Sundowns:
“Not like they completely know that it’s well or win all the cups. For now,
we don’t have any cup. Now it’s up to us to perform. The last time when we
were at the office, there was a mandate: we need to win. We need to win all
the games, all of them.”
