Caf Confederation Cup Sukazi reflects on TS Galaxy's fairy tale run

TS Galaxy chairman Tim Sukazi has reflected on his team's fairytale start to the 2019/20 Caf Confederation Cup season.

The National First Division (NFD) side continues to defy the odds in the competition as they are three matches away from reaching the group stage, and Sukazi feels they are proving to be worthy Nedbank Cup champions.  

"I think it's something good in a sense that we have to show we are worthy Nedbank Cup champions. So, our success story in the Caf Confederation Cup thus far is a clear indication of that," Sukazi told Goal. 

"These are the type of tournaments that give you the opportunity to gauge your state of readiness for the PSL level of football because Caf matches are very tough. It means if we can sustain that level then surely we are ready for the PSL come the right time." 

"So, we really appreciate the opportunity we have - one, for gaining this kind of experience as a very young club with a lot of youngsters. So, they are also gaining a lot of experience which you can't find anywhere. That also we're very grateful."

Sukazi doesn't believe TS Galaxy would struggle domestically should they continue to do well in the Caf Confederation Cup. 

He made mention of Kaizer Chiefs and Free State Stars, who were eliminated early in last season's competition but still struggled in the PSL, while Mamelodi Sundowns did well both in the league and in the Caf Champions League.  

"I have heard those theories but I believe if you plan properly and execute that plan then you should be Okay in playing both domestically and also on the continent - Caf Confederation Cup or Caf Champions League," explained Sukazi. 

"I can make two examples from the opposing side of the world; one, Kaizer Chiefs were eliminated early in the Caf Confederation Cup last season but did they really succeed domestically? The answer is no. Free State Stars were eliminated in the first round of the Caf Confederation Cup, where did they end up? They were relegated. So, should we blame Caf Confederation Cup that they were regelated? No.

"Then on the flip side of the coin, you've got Mamelodi Sundowns; they did fantastically well in Caf as they always do but they won the league - they are the champions. So, it's all about planning."

Sukazi said he hasn't asked for advice from any of the teams that did well in Caf competitions before, saying TS Galaxy are doing things their own way as this is still a learning curve for them.  

"We are doing it our way. We have an opportunity for trial and error here. It's nice to learn things from scratch - once you learn on the job, I think you stand a better chance of excelling than learning by in-taught. So, we really don't get into details when we talk with Sundowns. It's all about congratulating each other. So, we only shared that kind of information and nothing more," he continued. 

"Remember, when the competition started, both the Caf Champions League and Caf Confederation Cup, TS Galaxy were the lowest-ranked side. We are the only team coming from the lower ranks among all the other teams participating in Caf but we are defying all sorts of odds."