President Jacob Zuma has congratulated the new African football champions, Mamelodi Sundowns Football Cub, who won the CAF Champions League, the highest club competition in the African continent, on Sunday, 23 October 2016, in Egypt.

“It is indeed a glorious moment in South Africa and we congratulate Mamelodi Sundowns players, technical team and its entire management for representing us very well in this historically difficult continental championship and earned South Africa another Star. We are extremely proud of Sundowns for their remarkable achievement and we firmly believe that this excellent performance will take South Africa to higher levels in the international football fraternity,” said the President.

President Zuma further thanked the football supporters and all South Africans for rallying behind the team and that their support has yielded impressive results not only for Sundowns but for the entire nation.

Sundowns won the title despite going down 1-0 to Zamalek Football Club of Egypt in the match last night, the Brazilians as they are famously known won the tie 3-1 on aggregate after they had beaten Zamalek, 3-0 in the first leg at home in Pretoria last week.

Sundowns has joined another South African outfit, Orlando Pirates who won the Africa's top club championship in 1995 to earn the country the first Star of this competition.

 

Issued by the Presidency