After Mamelodi Sundowns' exposure at the FIFA Club World, Kaizer Chiefs Football Manager Bobby Motaung has opened up on where Amakhosi stands with those kind of ambitions.
Sundowns sold their brand in a global stage, after a gallant display at the FIFA Club World and exited the tournament having caught the attention of the football community in other parts of the world.
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The Brazilians could have felt they finally got the recognition on a world stage, as a leading club in South Africa, as reigning Betway Premiership champions for eight seasons running.
However, even though Chiefs have been performing below their standards in the last few years, they could have made it to the inaugural Club World in the United States if they had beaten Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League final in July 2021.
Motaung, was therefore unfazed, when asked if the Soweto giants have not capitalized on the pitch to reach Club World Cup heights, given their magnitude of their brand.
"That's been the passion, the joy of being part of Kaizer Chiefs. That's been the vision, that's why you saw what happened after winning the Nedbank Cup, what can you do when you're in that stage," Motaung said on 947's MSW.
"But it's not a sprint, it takes time, it takes proper planning. It's a journey, it takes structures as well. That's why you need stability, you need to plan properly. These things don't just happen overnight.
"We're back in Africa now after so many years. I mean we lost the CAF Champions League in the final during Covid, that thing was traumatic and we lost the league in Covid with a draw, that trauma to come from is not an overnight switch, to lose at that level with the ambition of reaching higher levels...it took a lot of time for us to really get things back," 'Bobsteak' added.
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Sundowns qualified for the Club World Cup via the rankings path, with one more spot available in Africa, as Al Ahly won three of the last four editions of the CAF Champions League, which were under consideration by FIFA.
Only The Red Devils and Wydad Casablanca went to the global tournament as previous winners of the CAF Champions League.
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