Former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Roger Feutmba has said it will be a big boost for the profile of South African soccer to have Kaizer Chiefs play against Pitso Mosimane's Al Ahly side in the 2021 Caf Champions League final.
Speaking before the two semi-finals on Saturday, former Cameroon international and Masandawana legend Feteumba had wished for Chiefs to play Ahly in the final.
And that's what transpired as Amakhosi played out to a tense 0-0 draw with Wydad Casablanca in Johannesburg to earn a 1-0 aggregate win, while in the other semi-final, Al Ahly beat ES Tunis 3-0 in Cairo after a 1-0 victory in Tunisia in the first leg.
Mosimane will now be targeting his third Champions League crown as coach, having won it with Sundowns in 2016 and with Ahly last year, just a few months after joining the Egyptian club.
The South African slant to the final, which takes place in Casablanca on July 17, can only be a positive for the country's footballing profile, as Feutmba has underlined:
"I think whatever happens in that final, if Chiefs face Al Ahly it will be another win for [South Africa],” he told Soccer Laduma. “It depends how you look at it, but remember Mosimane is a South African and his success put the country on another level.
"Kaizer Chiefs needs support from all South African supporters, if they win it will be about the country because people will see the growth of the whole league, not Chiefs."
Having struggled domestically this season, and having never before advanced beyond the first group stage of the Champions League, Amakhosi will most certainly be the underdogs for the final.
However, the fact that the final is a one-off game, rather than a home and away affair, may give the PSL club a better chance of pulling off an upset.
With three weeks to prepare, Chiefs will also be hopping to get some additional players back from injury and illness, including Lebogang Manyama, Dumisani Zuma, Leonardo Castro, Bruce Bvuma and Khama Billiat.
