The media’s persistent framing of Mamelodi Sundowns’ CAF Champions League final run as a noble distraction is a convenient lie—one that lets the club off the hook for a domestic title defence that has been alarmingly brittle. For weeks, pundits have wrapped Sundowns’ stumbles in the Betway Premiership in the velvet of continental prestige, as if a deep run into Africa’s premier competition excuses a side that once treated the league like a training exercise. But the truth is starker: Sundowns have failed to maintain their iron grip not because they are exhausted from flying to Cairo or Kinshasa, but because their squad selection, tactical rigidity, and mental application have slipped at home.
The evidence is in the league table and the match tape. Sundowns dropped points to a resurgent Richards Bay in January—a match I watched live where their midfield, missing the usual intensity, allowed a relegation-threatened side to dictate the tempo. Then came a lethargic 1-1 draw against a SuperSport United side that had not won in five matches, with Mngqithi’s substitutions arriving too late and failing to unlock a disciplined low block. Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates, under José Riveiro, have been ruthless, reeling off six consecutive league wins and closing the gap to within two points. The popular narrative points to CAF fatigue, but Pirates also compete in the CAF Confederation Cup and have managed to rotate effectively without losing domestic consistency. The difference? Pirates treat every league match with the same desperation they show in cup finals, while Sundowns have developed a dangerous habit of coasting, assuming their squad depth will bail them out. When Peter Shalulile missed a sitter against Swallows FC and the team failed to recover from a set-piece goal, it was not tired legs—it was complacency bred by a culture that now celebrates continental runs as ultimate validation.
The implication is uncomfortable for a club that prides itself on professionalism. By allowing the CAF final to dominate headlines and internal focus, Sundowns are signalling that the Betway Premiership title—a trophy they have won seven times in the last decade—has become secondary. This is not merely a scheduling issue; it is a philosophical drift. When the club’s marketing machinery and media allies constantly frame a loss at home to Cape Town City as “understandable” or “part of the CAF journey,” they erode the very standards that made Sundowns dominant. Younger players see that a semi-final in Africa earns more