After such a great start to the 2021/22 DStv Premiership campaign which saw Masandawana win the MTN8 Cup trophy for the first time in over a decade, a new leaf started to emerge at Chloorkop.
Bafana Ba Style scored 21 goals between November and December, registering eight victories, three draws and one narrow loss out of their twelve league encounters. The defending Champions went into the Christmas break leading at the top of the DStv Premiership table despite their 1-0 loss to AmaZulu FC in December, handing Downs their first defeat in 25 matches.
Sundowns Ladies were representatives for the Southern African region when they took on Ghanaian side Hasaacas Ladies in the final of the CAF Women’s Champions League in Cairo. Banyana Ba Style were crowned Champions of the first ever inaugural edition of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League without conceding a single goal in the competition.
Sundowns Ladies team received a grand welcome upon arrival at the O.R Tambo International with supporters, members of the media and journalists all in sight of the maiden CAF Women’s Champions League Cup. With the continental trophy arriving at Chloorkop, along with the CAFWCL COSAFA Qualifiers trophy and Hollywoodbets Super League title captured already, Masandawana Ladies were in cruise mode as they completed the first ever Ladies treble in African football competition.
The Championship team was then honored by the South African Football Association (SAFA) after their historic win in the first ever CAF Women’s Champions League. The Chairman of Sundowns, Mr Tlhopie Motsepe and the team, handed over a framed shirt to the SAFA President, Dr. Danny Jordaan to celebrate their significant victory.
After celebrating Sundowns Ladies emphatic win in the CAF Champions League, Bafana Ba Style discovered their CAF Champions League opponents for the upcoming Total Energies CAFCL campaign confirmed at the draw which took place in Cairo, Egypt. The South African Champions team were drawn in Group A alongside Al Ahly of Egypt and two Sudanese sides in Al Hilal and Al Merrikh SC.
🚨CONFIRMED🚨
The Brazilians have been placed in Group A for the 2021/22 #TotalEnergiesCAFCL Group Stages alongside:
– Al Ahly SC (EGY)
– Al Hilal (SDN)
– Al Merrikh (SDN)Let us know your thoughts on the draw Masandawana! 👆#Sundowns pic.twitter.com/nGaN3Xyp27
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) December 28, 2021
Sundowns announced yet another exciting multi-year partnership with Herbalife Nutrition, making it the first major sports collaboration for Herbalife on the African continent. The partnership was established for Herbalife to support Masandawana with a range of nutrition, wellness, and sports-performance products, supporting them as the football club’s official and exclusive nutrition and sports nutrition partner.
🚨New Sponsor Announcement🚨
Global nutrition company, Herbalife Nutrition and South Africa’s most successful PSL Club, Mamelodi Sundowns FC, have announced an exciting multi-year partnership.#SundownsXHerbalifeNutrition pic.twitter.com/t8WGNlJEOb
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) December 2, 2021
On Christmas Eve, The Brazilians released their second edition of the digital magazine for the festive season with exclusive articles, player lifestyle images and the first-ever Supporter vs Celebrity quiz. For the first time ever, Masandawana launched “Seven Days of Christmas with Sundowns” in efforts to travel across the country during the festive break to hand out Christmas gifts to several different orphanage homes. The Tshwane giants visited Polokwane, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Bloemfontein amongst other major provinces in the country to celebrate Christmas.
Summer signings Bradley “Surprise” Ralani and Teboho Mokoena were the biggest transfers in the Premier Soccer League as Mamelodi Sundowns prepared to come back in the second round of the season. The signing of skilled veteran winger Ralani from Cape Town City was announced three days after Christmas. The 34-year-old signed a one-and-a-half year deal at Sundowns that will take him to the end of the 2022-23 season. Mokoena signed a four-and-a-half year contract to join Downs from crosstown rivals, SuperSport United.
There’s a new Brazilian in town! 🔥
Drop a 👆 to welcome our newest addition, Surprise Ralani! #Sundowns #WelcomeSurprise pic.twitter.com/RGDTlnEBi8
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) December 28, 2021
𝕄𝕠𝕜𝕠𝕖𝕟𝕒 𝕀𝕤 𝔸 𝔹𝕣𝕒𝕫𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕟❗
Masandawana, let’s welcome the Midfield Maestro, 𝕋𝕖𝕓𝕠𝕙𝕠 𝕄𝕠𝕜𝕠𝕖𝕟𝕒 to home of the Champions! 👆#Sundowns #WelcomeMokoena pic.twitter.com/VMHvxmieVU
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) January 27, 2022
Crossing over into the new year, Bafana Ba Style switched on to compete in the Nedbank Cup and soon learnt of their opponents in the last 32. Downs were drawn against KwaZulu-Natal based Richards Bay FC in their first round of the Ke Yona Competition kick off on the first weekend of February.
