into practice after being handed the reins following Vladimir Vermezovic’s departure in December.
Pirates were involved in CAF Confederation Cup action the following year, with Tinkler’s first game in charge a two-legged first round qualifier against Uganda Revenue Authority. Tinkler led Pirates to a 2-1 home victory in his first ever continental game in charge on 14 March 2015, before drawing the second leg 2-2 to advance in the competition.
Overcoming Gabonese club Mounana and Guinea’s Kaloum Star in the next round of qualifiers, Tinkler steered the Bucs into the group stages at the first time of asking, yet faced an arduous task against African heavyweights Zamalek, AC Leopards and CS Sfaxien. Yet four wins in the six group games saw the Soweto giants end runners up in Group B, before dispatching Egyptian giants Al Ahly 5-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals, which included a memorable 4-3 away victory in North Africa.
Unfortunately Tinkler’s debut in the competition did not end in fairytale fashion, as Pirates narrowly lost 2-1 on aggregate to Tunisian powerhouse Etoile du Sahel.
Yet the former Bidvest Wits coach’s record across the year in CAF competition was immense: 16 games played, 10 wins, 3 draws and three losses, with a win rate of 62.5%.
Tinkler’s one-year stint at newbies Cape Town City came with no continental football, yet he did help the club qualify for next year’s Confederation Cup following their third-place league finish, while also scooping up his first major trophy as a head coach – the 2016 Telkom Knockout.
Appointed as SuperSport’s coach to replace Bafana Bafana-bound Stuart Baxter, Tinkler had to wait two months before taking charge once again on the continent for his new club, as assistant Kaitano Tembo navigated the group stages.
First up for Tinkler was a quarter-final showdown against Zesco United in September, where a 2-2 away draw in Zambia following Thuso Phala’s injury-time goal secured progression into the final four for Matsatsantsa.
Tunisian giants Club Africain awaited in the semi-finals, and following a 1-1 draw at home, the Pretoria club recorded a hard-fought 3-1 win away from home to book their place in a continental final for the first time in history.
Under Tinkler’s tutelage this campaign, they’ve won one and drawn three games, taking the coach’s overall record in CAF to 20 watches played, 11 wins, six draws and three losses – a 55% win rate.
In away games for both Pirates and SuperSport, Tinkler has been at the helm on 10 occasions, winning five, drawing three and losing two.
Having drawn 2-2 against Mazembe in the group stages, combined with Tinkler’s know-how, experience and tactical nous, SuperSport may be quietly confident of getting the job done come Sunday afternoon.
Kick-off in Lubumbashi is set for 14h30 South African time.
CAF Confederation Cup record at Orlando Pirates (2015)
First Round
14/03/2015: Orlando Pirates 2-1 URA
04/04/2015: URA 2-2 Orlando Pirates
Second Round
19/04/2015: Mounana 2-2 Orlando Pirates
02/05/2015: Orlando Pirates 3-0 Mounana
Play-off
15/05/2015: Kaloum Star 0-2 Orlando Pirates
06/06/2015: Orlando Pirates 4-1 Kaloum Star
Group stage
27/06/2015: AC Leopards 0-1 Orlando Pirates
11/07/2015: Orlando Pirates 1-2 Zamalek
26/07/2015: Sfaxien 0-1 Orlando Pirates
08/08/2015: Orlando Pirates 2-0 Sfaxien
22/08/2015: Orlando Pirates 2-0 AC Leopards
13/09/2015: Zamalek 4-1 Orlando Pirates
Semi-final
26/09/2015: Orlando Pirates 1-0 Al Ahly
04/10/2015: Al Ahly 3-4 Orlando Pirates
Final
21/11/2015: Orlando Pirates 1-1 Etoile du Sahel
29/11/2015: Etoile du Sahel 1-0 Orlando Pirates
CAF Confederation Cup record at SuperSport United (2017)
Quarter-final
15/09/2017: SuperSport United 0-0 Zesco United
23/09/2017: Zesco United 2-2 SuperSport United
Semi-final
01/10/2017: SuperSport United 1-1 Club Africain
22/10/17: Club Africain 1-3 SuperSport United