Cape Town - Marumo Gallants continue to astound in Africa, and remarkably reached the Caf Confederation Cup semi-finals against all odds at the weekend.
They emerged from a two-legged quarter-final round with a 2-1 aggregate win against Pyramids, one of the leading teams in the Egyptian Premier League. Pyramids are third on the league standings, which is topped by Al Ahly.
There are several former Al Ahly and Zamalek players in the Pyramids team, but Marumo Gallants held their own in both legs. Even in the intimidating atmosphere of a jam-packed 30 June Stadium in Cairo, Marumo Gallants held the Egyptians to a 1-1 draw.
On Sunday, Marumo Gallants survived a few close calls, but they held out bravely for a morale-boosting 1-0 win. Surprisingly, Marumo Gallants enjoyed a 57% possession, although towards the end the woodwork denied them a second goal.
Such has been their impact that former Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane is mentioning Marumo Gallants in the same breath as Mamelodi Sundowns, who over the weekend reached the Caf Champions League semi-finals.
Mosimane, the most successful South African coach in Africa, believes this season could be the time for SA teams (Sundowns and Marumo Gallants) to conquer Africa. He said SA teams are playing with controlled arrogance and confidence.
He said SA teams have won continental trophies before and will continue to do so. He cautioned that anybody underestimating SA teams are doing so at their peril because they won't stop surprising.
He said SA teams now have an understanding and belief that it is doable in 2023.
One feature of Marumo Gallants is that they are campaigning without their coach Dylan Kerr during games, and there is a case for saying this team is remote-controlled.
Kerr applied for a work permit two months ago and still has not received it. He travels with the team for away matches and sits in the stands for all games. He has a working plan with the supporting coaching staff who convey Kerr's instructions to the players.
On the odd occasion, Kerr's instructions were not understood and the wrong players were substituted.
Two weeks ago, Marumo Gallants were in the news for the wrong reasons because the club could not pay their bills. Two officials were held as collateral and only after the timely intervention of the SA government and embassy staff, the problem was served.
In Libya, in March, the team arrived late for a match, and the players were driven straight from the airport to the match venue, without a playing kit. Fortunately, a kit was obtained and after this unsettling start, Al Akhdar beat Marumo Gallants 4-1. However, by that time Marumo Gallants had already won Group A and qualified for the quarter-finals.
All that remains now is for Marumo Gallants to keeping on winning and continue to fly the SA flag with great pride.
@Herman_Gibbs
IOL Sport