The Chairman's Letter

THE CHAIRMAN'S

LETTER

Chairman, Tlhopie Motsepe, addressing fans at Church Square, Tshwane

DEAR MASANDAWANA,

Another sensational season of Shoeshine and Piano football has drawn to a close, and as we reflect on the highs and lows of the 2021-2022 campaign, we are humbled The Premier Soccer League (PSL) Trophy will spend another season within the walls of Chloorkop and we credit everyone who was involved.

The PSL title has been won in back-to-back seasons and it has also been won an impressive three times in a row; as Mamelodi Sundowns, we are privileged to have won it for five seasons in succession. This record is one that we all can feel very proud of.

As we cement the name of Mamelodi Sundowns in South African football history, let's also be reminded that the competition will be tougher and we need to continue in our efforts to strengthen the team. Whether you are a new supporter of the team, or a long-serving Sandawana, this moment belongs to us all. Well done to everyone!

Steve Komphela﹣Senior Coach, Rulani Mokwena﹣Co-Head Coach, Tlhopie Motsepe﹣Chairman, Manqoba Mngqithi﹣Co-Head Coach and Wendell Robinson﹣Goalkeeper Coach

Our 5th consecutive season as Champions is also the Club's 12th PSL title, which places Bafana Ba Style as The Most Successful Club in the PSL Era. As we celebrate the inspirational performance of the players, Coaches, and staff who have been part of the history of Mamelodi Sundowns; an important fact about PSL Title number 12 must be noted: We clinched our 12th League title in the year that our beloved 12th Man (the supporters) returned to the stadiums after a two-year COVID-19 lockdown. With this in mind, the club has dedicated this 12th title to YOU, our supporters!

The moment that we were allowed to have supporters back in the stadium, management and the team swiftly took the approach to make the supporters the star of all our remaining games.

Sundowns introduced the idea of ‘Supporter Appreciation Day’, which started in the week leading up to our crunch Champions League game against Angola’s Petro De Luanda.

For the first time in the club's illustrious history, we opened the gates of Chloorkop to hold a public training session where supporters could see their idols train. It was truly heart-warming to see our loyal supporters show up and sing while the players practiced, and the event was so successful, that the coaches and players have said that we should do it again! The Supporter Appreciation energy then reached its climax that weekend at FNB Stadium when Mamelodi Sundowns welcomed Kabza De Small, Young Stunna, King Monada and Hlogi Mash to perform at our Champions League home game against Petro De Luanda.

FNB Stadium was transformed into a calabash of culture and song as our supporters danced to the sounds of South Africa’s most talented artists.

The big surprise came when Hip Hop Superstar Cassper Nyovest performed at halftime, and soon after his crowd-pleasing performance, the real fireworks began during the final moments of the CAF Champions League quarter-final. Although we did not win the game, one thing that we can be proud of is this: Mamelodi Sundowns is evolving into a football club that dominates on the field of play and dominates in the grandstands.

Mamelodi Sundowns Chairman with supporters at the first official open training session at Chloorkop

Despite the challenges that covid regulations and vaccine requirements have placed on stadium attendance, I was very touched to see supporters coming back to our games. I believe that the missing piece for our club to become a dominant force in African football, is for more supporters to join us at the stadiums. We are a successful team, we play attractive football, and our supporters have the best songs and celebrations in Africa.

Imagine if we could do the Haka Matorokisi around a full Loftus stadium?
The whole world would admire our Yellow Nation!

The day Mamelodi Sundowns supporters are known for filling our stadiums to capacity, will be the day that we truly become the biggest team on the continent. Next season, as a club, we will do everything we can to make your stadium experience worth your money; with music, entertainment, and fun for the whole family. Your title-winning team will only ask one thing of you: that you join Bafana Ba Style in your numbers like never before! Together, we can create a new culture for our club and push this team to greater glory.

Mamelodi Sundowns Supporters during the CAF Champions League 2021/22 campaign

As I write this, we have just been crowned PSL Champions and have won the Nedbank Cup; these two trophies, combined with the MTN 8 Cup, have seen Sundowns complete a clean sweep of all the local cups that are on offer! They say good things come in threes, from the three wise men in the Bible, to the three wishes that the Genie granted Aladdin. We are so proud of the coaches for steering our team to this incredible treble of trophies! This is proof that we have a very special group of players in the club - and they have earned their place in Mamelodi Sundowns history.

Kennedy Mweene, Reyaad Pieterse, Rivaldo Coetzee, Tiyani Mabunda, Tlhopie Motsepe and Freddy Zungu during the trophy parade

We are living in an era of unbelievable Sundowns success. As our heroes prepare to take a well-deserved break; let us give our players, Coaches, and the technical team the love and appreciation that they truly deserve.

Ka Bo Yellow! WE LOVE YOU!

The Sky is the Limit!

Tlhopie Motsepe
(Chairman)

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