Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Thlopie Motsepe has reflected on the side’s 2025/26 domestic campaign after it ended in a consequential loss in Mbombela on Tuesday.
The defending champions lost 3-2 to TS Galaxy, only their second defeat in the league this season to finish the term with 68 points in 30 matches. That’s three points from title competitors Orlando Pirates who have two games in hand.
Motsepe says the Brazilians expected a tough season from the on-set and also suggested that it’s okay to concede the title because other teams got better and gave them a run for their money.
“I think first of all our coach said it at the beginning of the season that this was going to be a very, very tough campaign,” said Motsepe on SuperSport TV.
“There’s a lot of reasons why it was tough. Maybe internally from a Mamelodi Sundowns perspective, people will say all sorts of fatigue and coming off the Club World Cup.
“But honestly, credit should be given to the competition and the teams that were around us and the way that they raised the bar and they raised the standard. And there’s so many teams in the league that when we came to play them, they really put on a good show, a good performance for their own supporters and for the product.
“So, you know for us we always welcome competition. It makes everybody better. And this is one of those moments where you realize that, because you will be better because of your opponents in the competition that pushes you.
“It’s the same way in global football, you know, you never have a team that continues and continues and continues to win alone. It’s the competition around them that make them better. And I think this is one of those seasons where we can all be very proud of the fact that there’s been a lot of competition and we welcome it, and we acknowledge that we’ve had a really good run.
“And this team has been privileged to be part of the competition. As I say, there’s still a few games left for other teams, but we can be proud and say that we did our best, we did our job, and now we have to focus on the next very important hurdle that awaits us next week.”
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