1. Name: Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club

2. Founding Date: 1970 (Official professional formation in 1970, amateur roots traced back to 1960s in Marabastad)

3. Owner/Chairman: Tlhopie Motsepe (Club President)
Dr. Patrice Motsepe (Former owner, now CAF President)

4. Nicknames: The Brazilians, Bafana Ba Style, Kabo Yellow

5. Slogan/Motto: “The Sky is the Limit”

6. Home Ground: Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
(Also used: Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville)

7. Achievements – Trophies & Titles

⚽ League Titles (17):

• NSL/NPSL Titles: 3
  (1988, 1990, 1993)
• Premier Soccer League (PSL): 14
  (1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24)

🏆 Domestic Cups:

• Nedbank Cup: 6 (1986, 1998, 2008, 2015, 2020, 2022)
• Telkom Knockout / League Cup: 4 (1990, 1999, 2015, 2019)
• MTN 8 / Top 8: 4 (1988, 1990, 2007, 2021)

🌍 Continental Titles:

• CAF Champions League: 1 (2016)
• CAF Super Cup: 1 (2017)
• CAF Champions League Finalists: 2001
• CAF Confederation Cup Semi-finalists: 2023

8. Sponsors:

• Main Sponsors:
  • Motsepe Foundation (current)
  • Hyundai
  • Puma (kit manufacturer)
• Previous Sponsors:
  • MTN, Double Action, Ellerines

9. Famous Players (5 Legends):

• Donald Ace Khuse
• Daniel Mambush Mudau
• Themba Zwane
• Percy Tau

I. Marabastad Origins and the Birth in Mamelodi (1960s–1983)

Mamelodi Sundowns’ roots trace back to the early 1960s in Marabastad, Pretoria, where a group of local footballers formed a small club named Sundowns. Founded by names like Ingle Singh and Reginald Hartze, the team played under modest conditions until it was sold in 1979.

It was then that Boy Mafa, a Mamelodi-based businessman, alerted three key community figures—Dr. Motsiri Itsweng, Dr. Bonny Sebotsane, and Joseph “Fish” Kekana—about the opportunity to purchase the club. They did so for just R4,000 and relocated it to Mamelodi.

At the time, the club was languishing at the bottom of the second division. The new owners transformed the club’s identity: they changed the kit to green and gold to reflect African pride. Mr. Selepe, a teacher at Mamelodi High School, designed the hand-pointing-upward logo, and Dr. Sebotsane coined the motto: “The Sky is the Limit.” The nickname “Sandawana” was given by Dr. Itsweng’s mother, struggling to pronounce “Sundowns.”

Many of their players were recruited from Mamelodi High School by Mr. Selepe. The team slept at Dr. Itsweng’s clinic and the players took turns cooking. The club was run on a shoe-string budget. They embraced a new football philosophy: short passing, close control, patient buildup, which they called carpet football—a style soon to become legendary. In 1983, they were promoted to the NSL, marking their arrival in top-flight football.

II. The Zola Mahobe Revolution (1985–1988)

Everything changed in 1985 when charismatic businessman Zola Mahobe bought an 80% stake in Sundowns for R100,000. Under Mahobe, Sundowns was reborn—not just as a football club, but as a lifestyle, a brand, and a movement.

He poured over R2 million into the club in just two years, signed the country’s best talent, and reimagined the club’s image. He appointed Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala as head coach and elevated Trott Moloto as assistant. Together, they laid the tactical and psychological foundation for Sundowns’ rise.

It was during this time that the iconic “Shoe Shine and Piano” philosophy was born—a style that became synonymous with Sundowns and defined a generation of South African football.

🟨 The Origins of “Shoe Shine and Piano”

As part of his investment in excellence, Zola Mahobe sent Screamer Tshabalala to Italy, where he observed the training of top clubs such as AC Milan and Juventus. There, Screamer kept hearing everyone say the word “piano.” He asked for its meaning and was told it meant “easy.” In Italian, the word also means “floor” and the expression was used in football to describe a calm, composed buildup from the back—smooth, controlled, and confident.

This inspired Screamer. He connected it to something very local—a place in Ndofaya, Soweto, where men meticulously polished shoes. They worked with patience, dedication, and pride, shining each shoe until it gleamed. It was an art.

From that, Screamer created an elegant metaphor for football:

• “Piano” – Build-up from the back, steady, calm, methodical.
• “Shoe Shine” – Pretty, rhythmic possession play, with each player involved and the ball moving smoothly across the pitch.

This wasn’t just tactics. It was a philosophy: a style of football rooted in culture, flair, patience, and intelligence. And to execute it, Mahobe recruited only players who could perform it:
Bashin Mahlangu, Zane Moosa, Ace Khuse, Mike Ntombela, Pitso Mosimane, Bricks Mudau, and Ewi Kambule—players of intelligence, technique, and vision.

Mahobe spared no expense:

• Players were gifted BMWs
• In 1986, the entire squad—and their partners—were flown to London to attend the FA Cup Final
• Salaries, facilities, and prestige unmatched in the South African game at the time

Sundowns became the envy of the league. For the first time, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates had a true rival—a glamorous, visionary club built on flair and ambition.

III. Collapse and Resurrection: The Krok-Tsichlas Era (1988–1993)

But Mahobe’s dream was built on unsustainable foundations. In 1987, he was arrested for bank fraud. It was discovered that he had financed the club with fraudulent loans. In 1989, Standard Bank liquidated the club.

Sundowns was at a cliff’s edge.

The club was saved by the Krok brothers—Abe and Sol, who purchased Sundowns out of liquidation and kept it afloat. They retained the services of the administrative core: the Tsichlas family, especially Anastasia “The Iron Lady” Tsichlas, who had been brought in by Mahobe and remained an unwavering presence in the club’s operations for decades.

Under their leadership:

• Sundowns won the 1988 and 1990 NSL League Titles
• Captured Top 8 titles in 1988 and 1990
• Won the 1993 NSL League Championship

With sponsors like Double Action and Ellerines Furnitures, the club regained financial footing and re-established itself as one of South Africa’s top three clubs. Their philosophy remained intact, and Shoe Shine and Piano endured.

IV. PSL Era Ascendancy and African Aspirations (1996–2003)

With the creation of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in 1996, Mamelodi Sundowns took full flight. Under coaches like Ted Dumitru, Paul Dolezar, and Trott Moloto, they embarked on a historic three-peat:

• PSL Champions:
  • 1997–98
  • 1998–99
  • 1999–2000

With players like Daniel “Mambush” Mudau, Joel Masilela, Raphael Chukwu, and Isaac Shai, Sundowns played fast, attacking football while retaining the style Mahobe and Screamer introduced.

In 2001, they reached the CAF Champions League Final, becoming the second South African team (after Orlando Pirates in 1995) to do so. They lost to Egyptian giants Al Ahly, but the message was clear: Sundowns was a continental force.

V. The Patrice Motsepe Era: Corporate Renaissance (2004–2020)

In 2004, billionaire businessman Dr. Patrice Motsepe bought Mamelodi Sundowns. What followed was a total transformation into a pan-African football corporation. Motsepe’s goals were clear:

• Build infrastructure
• Develop youth
• Professionalize operations
• Conquer Africa

Under Motsepe:

• Sundowns won PSL titles in 2005–06 and 2006–07
• Invested in performance science, player welfare, and scouting
• Hired the best in class, including ex-internationals, technical advisors, and nutrition experts

But real glory came with the arrival of Pitso Mosimane in 2012.

VI. Pitso Mosimane’s Dynasty: African Kings (2012–2020)

Pitso, a former Sundowns player, turned Sundowns into a footballing juggernaut:

• 5 PSL titles
• CAF Champions League (2016) – beating Zamalek
• CAF Super Cup (2017)
• FIFA Club World Cup participation

The team starred Hlompho Kekana, Themba Zwane, Percy Tau, Denis Onyango, and Teko Modise, executing a modernized version of Shoe Shine and Piano—now with data analysis and global tactical awareness.

VII. Post-Pitso Era and Tlhopie Motsepe’s Leadership (2021–Present)

In 2021, Dr. Patrice Motsepe became CAF President, handing over club presidency to his son, Tlhopie Motsepe. A new generation had taken the reins.

Under coaches Rhulani Mokwena, Manqoba Mngqithi, and Steve Komphela, the club:

• Won four consecutive PSL titles (2020–2024)
• Made CAF Champions League semi-finals and finals
• Developed a new tactical identity while preserving the club’s DNA

The Shoeshine and Piano style lives on—modern, digital, global—but still deeply rooted in Ndofaya’s polishers and Italian patience.

Legacy: The Symphony of South African Football

Mamelodi Sundowns isn’t just a football club. It’s:

• A revolution sparked by Zola Mahobe’s dream
• A legacy upheld by the Kroks, Tsichlas, and Motsepes
• A footballing institution defined by grace, ambition, and intelligence

They have built not only a club, but a model for how African football can grow—boldly, proudly, and beautifully.

Indeed, “The Sky is the Limit” wasn’t just a motto. It was a prophecy.