The main reason for SuperSport United's recent decline is that the hype died down, says Dean Furman

SuperSport United captain Dean Furman believes that the club’s recent decline is down to a lack of euphoria and hype surrounding their domestic campaign.

Matsatsantsa had tongues wagging with their spirited display which saw them overcome some of the best clubs on the continent, only to eventually lose out to TP Mazembe in the Caf Confederation Cup final. But following SuperSport’s heart-breaking defeat it seems the rigours of continental football had taken its toll mentally and physically on the players as they headed into the festive break.

However, with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) season set to resume, SuperSport’s hard-tackling midfielder has explained that while fatigue has played role in their slump, it has been the lack of hype surrounding their domestic campaign which has proven a stumbling block.  

“There are a lot of factors that have contributed to us finding ourselves in this position,” Furman told The Star.

“The legs were tired after a long year that saw us travel the length and breadth of the continent. But the main reason is that after the final the hype died down.

“We were carried by the high we were on in the knockout stage of the Cup. It was easy to psyche ourselves when we went to Zambia in the quarter-finals and to Tunisia in the semi-finals where I believe we played our best football this year,” he expressed.

“After the final there was no hype. I believe that we would have struggled even if we had won it because the euphoria that surrounded us representing South Africa at the highest level wasn’t there anymore,” he explained.

Furthermore, Furman iterates that the Tshwane-based outfit are a club for a big occasion, and that is why he isn’t too fazed knowing that next up for SuperSport is a crucial game against Kaizer Chiefs.

“What I have seen about us is that we rise to the occasion in the big stage,” Furman said.

“We did that against Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final to become the first team to retain the trophy (under the current sponsors). We won the MTN8 final with a man down for more than half an hour. We have an incredible fighting spirit that pushed us to reach the final of the Confederation Cup. We will return there this year and I believe that we can go all the way this time around,” he added.