Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Thlopie Motsepe has promised Masandawana supporters the best season the club “has ever had” despite massive technical team changes alongside uninspiring pre-season results.
Sundowns are preparing to start the 2024/25 DStv Premiership season under a different technical team after the departure of head coach Rulani Mokwena and a few members of the club’s bench.
The start to life without Mokwena has seen the team lose a couple of matches in their Austrian camp and cast some doubt on their Premier Soccer League dominance.
The Pretoria giants won the DStv Premiership title seven times in a row. They were almost unbeatable in the league under Mokwena when they suffered a single defeat on the final day of the season.
Under the guidance of coach Manqoba Mngqithi and Steve Komphela, Sundowns lost to German third-tier side SV Sandhausen and Ukraine giants Dynamo Kyiv.
However, Motsepe said the results shouldn’t be a cause of concern to the supporters as the coaches are preparing for something special.
“If there’s any message, I want to give to Mamelodi Sundowns supporters at this time, it’s the same thing that I’ve said at the start of every season. Thank you for the support, thank you for always being behind us, and we are going to need you,” Motsepe told PrimeSport with Mahlatse.
“Every single season we are going to need you. Every single season, we need them.
“What’s happening at the club is we are actually in the process of trying to be set in the best position possible to have one of the best seasons we have ever had in our history.”
Motsepe said they chose tough opponents for the pre-season to ready themselves for the FIFA Club World Cup in the US from June 2025.
“You know there’s a quote, and I don’t want to misquote Muhammad Ali, but it’s a boxing quote that says, ‘You train hard so you can fight easy,” Motsepe said.
“If you look at the opponents we have faced this pre-season, they are respectfully very strong and challenging football clubs.
“The results we are seeing now is us setting ourselves up against the calibre that we might find ourselves playing against in the Club World Cup.
“We are stressing ourselves right now so that when the season progresses, we are ready.”
Sundowns play their third match on tour against English Championship side Cardiff City at Waldstadion Westendorf on Tuesday in Austria at 16:00, South African time.
Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Thlopie Motsepe on preparations for the coming season. pic.twitter.com/17AtXJFr5J
— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) July 19, 2024
