Sphiwe Masilela
After being dumped out of the lucrative continental CAF trophy, Mamelodi Sundowns are on the brink of making history on the domestic front.
Sundowns bowed out of the coveted CAF Champions League 3-1 on aggregate at the expense of Al Ahly, who are under the management of Pitso Mosimane – their former coach.
The reigning Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions’ next assignment is against rivals – Supersport United – in a Tshwane derby on Wednesday evening.
A win for them will see them take a giant step towards becoming the first club to win the league title four years in a row – plus extend their record number of championship successes, overtaking Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in the process.
Sundowns, with titles in 2018, 2019 and 2020, are now set for a first-ever four-peat.
It will also take their tally of league crowns to 14, two more than Chiefs, whose record they have usurped over the last seasons, and five more than Pirates.
At the summit of the log, with 57 points from 26 games, Sundowns’ win over United would mean second-placed Amazulu cannot attain the 60 points even if they win all their remaining three games.
No club has won four league campaigns in a row, but Sundowns moved closer to setting up a new benchmark for the domestic game, after extending their lead at the top of the standings to seven points clear in their last outing against TS Galaxy.
In 1976, Pirates became the first club to successfully defend their title, thereby making it two in a row.
It was a feat that Durban City repeated in 1982 and 1983 whilst Chiefs achieved it between 1991 and 1992.
Sundowns became the first club to make it three league titles in a row in 2000, which Supersport United matched 10 years later.
Chiefs won the first of their 12 league titles in 1974 and Pirates were inaugural National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) winners in 1971. Sundowns only claimed their first championship in 1988.
Picture source: @Masandawana
