Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has said his piece, comparing the levels of the DStv Premiership and CAF Champions League.
Bafana Ba Style have become regular features in the Champions League over the past decade. They have emerged as a powerhouse in African football reaching knockout stages almost in all seasons since 2016.
They won their first star eight years ago under Pitso Mosimane and are now pursuing the second with Mokwena as their mentor. In this year’s edition, they have already qualified for the quarter-finals with one matchday to go in the group stages.
When asked to compare the levels of the local league and Champions League, Mokwena said, “I wouldn’t say one is better than the other”.
While he felt Champions League’s competition only becomes strong in the last eight, he said DStv Premiership presents tough home and away matches from all 15 opponents.
And Mokwena believes the significant representation of SA league at the recent past AFCON evidences the high level of domestic football.
RULANI MOKWENA SAYS DSTV PREMIERSHIP IS STRONG JUST AS CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
“The space of Champions League, it has to be the space for sure that is higher, although I still believe the competition really, really starts in the quarter-finals,” said Mokwena.
“When you have the eight best teams going into the quarter-finals, I think that’s where really the Champions League starts.
“But the DStv Premiership is a very, very good competition. I mean, sometimes it’s like this expression that I use with the players that sometimes when you come into your house you see these sofas that you see everyday, you devalue them because they’re right in front of your eyes.
“Eventually you put your takkies on top, you put a plate of food on top up until you sell them and you see them in someone else’s house. And then you’re like, ‘these things are beautiful’.
“And that’s the same with the DStv Premiership, a lot of work has gone into making it one of the best leagues in the world. The stats show, even the number of players that went to represent the DStv Premiership at AFCON.
‘I WOULDN’T SAY ONE IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER’
“It was significantly above the rest of the other countries in domestic competitions or leagues. And then you have to play 30 games and 30 games mean you’re really the best of the best because you play home and away, you play each and every single opponent.
“So, from that perspective, I wouldn’t say one is better than the other because I don’t think you are in the Champions League without winning the league title or doing well in the domestic competition.
“It is important, because it’s the means to qualify and of course champions league is champions league because it’s got all the champions. And then that makes it a little bit difficult.
“But I think the DStv Premiership is a strong competition and just as equally important as the Champions league.”
RELATED STORY: How much Sundowns bagged for reaching CAF CL quarter-finals