Pelé’s African dream v Mamelodi Sundowns’ reality: A tale of two prophecies

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One of the most famous quotes by the Brazilian football great Edson Arantes do Nascimento, famously known as Pelé, was that ‘at the turn of the century, an African team will win the World Cup’.

Having passed away at the age of 82 in December 2022, Pelé lived long enough to see whether his prophecy would come true, but it simply never materialised. In fact, even now, there are no signs of it coming true, especially given the latest scandals within CAF.

As we speak, the continent’s governing body is in the news for the wrong reasons: stripping Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations title and awarding it to the beaten finalists and neighbours, Morocco.

These are controversies that no organisation would want to be associated with, let alone in a World Cup year. Pelé, the three-time World Cup winner, must be shaking his head in disappointment from his final resting place.

Regardless, the legend clearly wished the "Mother Continent" well. With Morocco reaching the semi-finals in 2022 in Qatar — a first for an African nation in the global showpiece — and the fact that, starting from this year, Africa will be represented by nine to 10 teams, maybe we should not bury Pelé’s prophecy with him.

While Pelé’s prophecy remains unrealised, I am reminded of one proclamation that remains true so far. It was in 2022 that I had the opportunity to interview Mamelodi Sundowns legend and former Bafana Bafana defender, David Kannemeyer.

Sundowns were on one of their now-frequent winning streaks in the early months of the 2022/23 season. They were chasing a sixth straight South African Premiership title, and already the signs were there that no team was capable of responding to the Catch Me If You Can script.

They were perfectly cast in the role of Leonardo DiCaprio, with no Tom Haks anywhere in pursuit.

The interview with Kannemeyer — one of the most decorated PSL players, who also played for teams like Cape Town Spurs, Kaizer Chiefs, Ajax Cape Town, SuperSport United, and Mpumalanga Black Aces — was on exactly that: Is there a team capable of unseating the Brazilians?

The response from the legend was a straight "NO!", followed by the proclamation: “Sundowns will dominate the league title for the next 10 years.”

And no, he wasn’t looking down on any club, nor did he dwell on criticising the management and leadership styles of some teams — especially members of the "Big Three", Chiefs and Orlando Pirates — as many critics usually do when engaging in this topic.

Among other things, he said that no team was even close to the level of Sundowns in the domestic league at that time. He pointed to their continental experience as a case in point. Sundowns have since won three more league titles, and as we speak, they are on course for a fourth since that conversation — and a record ninth straight league title.

For a couple of seasons now, Pirates have been their closest rivals, but every time, the ending is the same, they are left with an almost tag, a bridesmaid that never catches the bouquet. Pirates’ hard-fought 2-2 draw with Richards Bay on Friday night handed Sundowns an opportunity to open a four-point gap at the summit of the Betway Premiership table, with a game in hand.

Beside the low energy from Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine, the Buccaneers’ lack of continental football experience was highlighted when they failed to trouble Richards Bay with their set-pieces, especially the many corners they received.

In the second half, there were times when captain Nkosinathi Sibisi was visibly frustrated by his teammates, shouting at them to close the far post behind him.

They were not "all in". It was as if the main priority was to avoid being caught on the counter-attack instead of scoring. Such things you will never see with Mamelodi Sundowns, and so Kannemeyer’s proclamation of a 10-year of domestic domination by the Brazilians is, so far, looking good.

We can only hope Pelé’s prophecy is realised, too. Hopefully soon.