Soccer Laduma Congratulates Sundowns

At the time of going to press last week, the destiny of the PSL title was still undecided, so it was impossible to properly congratulate the PSL champions in that edition. This week, you will find that PSL champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, dominate your Soccer Laduma pages, and rightly so.    Massive congratulations to Patrice Motsepe and his organisation for bringing the glory days back to Mamelodi Sundowns. Patrice has shown that he is in football for the long haul, and his patience and persistence has paid off. Some people may say he has bought the league title when you consider the amount of money he has spent assembling this squad, but nothing in football is for certain. Real Madrid spends a lot of money and they haven't won their league. Chelsea spends a lot of money as do Manchester United and they have not won their leagues.    Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates spend a lot of money and they certainly have not won their league. At the end of the day, even if you have the pieces of the puzzle, you still have to put them together, and Patrice Motsepe did just that.    And, to that end, one cannot deny the glory and accolades that must be heaped upon Pitso Mosimane. Pitso Mosimane has, this season, been a breath of fresh air in the PSL. He is the one coach who understands that, while it is a business (and a big business at that), at the end of the day, it's also an entertainment industry and the fans want to be entertained.    I can honestly say that the journos here in the Soccer Laduma office cannot wait for a Pitso Mosimane press conference just to see what he comes up with next. Whether it's a snipe at the other team, a challenge sent out to another coach or just making South African football smile – he truly has become the 'Jose Mourinho' of the PSL (the only difference being that, this season, Pitso has backed up what he says with brave football and a title). And it's not all about himself every time he speaks. He has taken the pressure heaped on him by the media and carried it on his shoulders effortlessly. At all times he deflected criticism away from his team and owned any responsibility for slip-ups that have occurred along the way.     It really has been a master class from Pitso Mosimane and we here at Soccer Laduma salute you, sir. If you have not had a chance to see the congratulations video our entire office has put together for you on SLTV and the Soccer Laduma website, please go and have a look. We even have our journo, Lunga 'Pitso' Adam, doing his best Pitso Mosimane impersonation.    To Alje Schut and your team, congratulations lads! Some players go their whole lives without winning a league title. It's a huge achievement. Some will tell you it's just a moment, just a feeling. But what a feeling! You've delighted soccer fans throughout the country with your exciting brand of football and we look forward to you representing South Africa on the continent.    This week you will see that we have announced our Soccer Laduma Player of the Season, and the Soccer Laduma Readers' Player of the Season has been decided as well.    The Soccer Laduma Player of the Season is voted for by the Soccer Laduma Editorial team, and this season for the first time we also canvassed the PSL coaches and players for their votes, which makes this a very prestigious award. To Sibusiso Vilakazi, well done sir. You have had an outstanding season and your star has shone brightly!     After eleven weeks of voting by our Soccer Laduma readers, it is Willard Katsande who has been crowned the Soccer Laduma Readers' Player of the Season. Well done to you for a phenomenal season with Kaizer Chiefs and no doubt you will go from strength to strength in the coming years.    So now it's just the Nedbank Cup Final which still has to be decided… best of luck to Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits. On the one hand I would love to see Pirates pick up some silverware simply because they have been to the final dance three times this year without anything to show for it. On the other hand, I would like to see Sibusiso Vilakazi get some silverware that his season so deserves. It's a tight one to call and, in true cup fashion, this one could go either way. Best of luck to both teams!   Make sure you stay plugged into the Soccer Laduma website for coverage of the Playoffs to see who will be joining Chippa United in the PSL next season. To the teams campaigning to either get there or stay there, all the best to you.    Lastly to the Soccer Laduma readers - thank you for choosing us to tell you the story of the PSL as it played out this season. Now brace yourself for all the transfer news as teams prepare for their next campaign! Stay plugged into Soccer Laduma because you know where you will hear it all first!    Shapa, Clint   Click Here To Watch Clint's Message To Mamelodi Sundowns   Click Here To Watch Soccer Laduma Congratulate Sundowns