Andile Jali is back in the Caf Champions League to settle an old score. The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder lost in the final of the 2013 Champions League with his former club Orlando Pirates before going to Belgium to spend almost four years with K.V. Oostende.
The combative midfielder signed for the Brazilians upon his return to the country. He is part of the squad that’s in Togo to take on AS Togo-Port on Tuesday afternoon in Lome at 15:00 South African time in the group stage of the Champions League. Bafana BaStyle are looking to reclaim the trophy they won in 2016. They first need to get a positive result in Togo to register their first win and eventually finish in the top two of Group C to advance to the knockout stage.
“It’s a good thing that I am back in the country and I am playing for a team that’s in the Champions League,” Jali said. “That’s the one thing that I want to win. It wasn’t nice losing in the final. I have told myself that my time will come.”
The Brazilians have collected just two points after two matches against Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and Guinea’s Horoya. Two points separate them from the top two teams in their group. If they collect six points against AS Togo-Port, they’ll squeeze into the top two. This match could be Jali’s first in Sundowns’ colours.
“I can’t say what people will see from me. They’ll just have to wait and see. They’ll see how much I have grown on the field,” Jali said. “It’s good that I am in a team that wants to win every tournament they participate in. That’s when the competition for places comes in. That’s when you must fight to show how good you are.”
