Mamelodi Sundowns ready for marathon trip on the African continent

Mamelodi Sundowns might have stadium woes of their own, but the strict standards set by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) for hosting African Champions League games this season is also working to their benefit.

Caf prescribed a long list of requirements for stadiums used in the continent’s top club competition and the Pretoria side’s preferred venues, Loftus Versfeld and Lucas Moripe stadium in Atteridgeville, have fallen short.

It meant the Brazilians having to play their first Group A match against Al Hilal of Sudan  at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in the North West last Friday and they are likely to return to the province for their crunch game against former coach Pitso Mosimane and his Al Ahly side next month.

They are not the only Champions League club forced to move their home fixtures.

Sundowns’ next opponent Al Merreikh, from Sudan, are barred from using their home ground in Khartoum, so Saturday’s game has been shifted to Cairo in neighbouring Egypt.

It is a double bonus for the Brazilians because they play Al Ahly in Cairo the week after and will stay in the Egyptian capital for about 10 days, avoiding more tiring travel and affording a chance for a good build up in advance of their clash against Al Ahly.

Sundowns, who take on Baroka FC in the DStv Premiership in Polokwane on Monday night, will fly to Cairo on Wednesday, arriving in time for a pre-match training session at the Al Salama stadium on Friday. They play their match on Saturday at 3pm SA time.

The squad will decamp to a resort outside Cairo, where there are on-site training facilities and they will stay there until they meet Al Ahly on Friday February 25.

Sundowns are taking their entire first team squad on the trip to keep up an intense training level.

Players such as Musa Lebusa and Lebogang Maboe will have a chance to continue their work on the training field as they return from injury.