Exclusive: Roger De Sá Backs All-South African Final but Warns Pirates and Sundowns of Egyptian Hostility

Former Orlando Pirates head coach and Egypt Assistant coach, Roger De Sá, believes that Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates still have a chance to book an all South African CAF Champions League final. The pair are set to travel to Egypt to take on Al Ahli SC and Pyramids FC, respectively, in the second-leg of the semi-final stage of the African tournament.

North Africa's hostile fanbase

Having guided Orlando Pirates to a 3-0 victory over Al Ahly SC at the Cairo International Stadium over a decade ago, De Sá knows what it means to play against North African teams in their own backyard.

He also served as Egypt's Assistant coach for almost a year, henceforth De Sá knows the culture of Egyptian football, the type of football they play, and the nature of their supporters.

As a result, South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates are set to make the trip to Egypt this coming weekend for the second leg of the semi-finals, De Sá has advised the two teams to expect hostility and pressure.

Pirates are set to face Pyramids FC in the second leg, having endured a goalless draw at FNB Stadium last week, while Sundowns will play Al Ahly, having endured the same fate at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in the first leg.

De Sá believes that Pirates might have it slightly easier against Pyramids FC as compared to Sundowns, who face Al Ahly, which has over 60 million supporters who are known for taking drastic measures to help their team win football games.

"It's going to be tough for the South African teams to get there and get a result on the weekend. Going to Egypt, I know they're going to open up the stadiums. They're going to get a full crowd. It's going to be hostile for sure. The crowd is very hostile. It does have a factor to play for sure. You have that 12th player advantage," De Sá told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.

"It's going to make a big difference because they really get behind the team with flames and lasers and chanting and jumping. Pyramids, probably not so much (support) because it's not a very big club with a large following. But for sure, Al-Ahly."

Blocking the noise

De Sá believes that the two South African teams should try to block all the noise and focus on what is happening on the football court.

The 60-year-old advised that Sundowns and Pirates should try and spend as little time as possible in Egypt to avoid being affected by the hostility of the Egyptian fans while they are there.

"You have to try and put away everything outside of those four lines. Just focus on what's inside those four lines. That's what the players have to worry about. Try and ignore anything beyond that sideline or the end line. Anything outside of those four lines, you've got to try and just totally ignore, and that's the only way," said De Sá.

"If you can do that, put on your music in the bus, turn it up loud in your earphones so that you're not aware of what's going on around you. Don't worry too much about the crowd while you're doing your warm-up. It's a lot easier said than done because when you're there, it's in your face. You can't run away from it. They should spend as little time there as possible." 

"On one side of it, you want to take it all in and remember the experience and make the most of it. But on the other side, you're trying to tell the players to block it all out and just focus on the 90 minutes inside those four lines, and that's what they have to do. I think both teams can still win it, to be fair."

Home Pressure

Playing a semi-final at home, although the home advantage might settle the nerves, there will still be pressure on the Egyptian teams, who will be expected to win at home.

De Sá believes that home pressure might play a part in the two fixtures, but also emphasised the mental prowess that the Egyptian players possess, having worked with them in the national team.

"There's going to be pressure on the Egyptian teams as well. They have to perform now. They're at home. There's a little bit of pressure on their side from their supporters, their fans. They're going to expect a result. So that can maybe swing it a little bit to our favour, maybe. Let's see," said De Sá.

"But I know those guys. I worked with the national team there. They're good professionals. They're hard. They're very strong mental players. They're not scared, I can guarantee you that. Mentally, they're very strong. But I don't think some of them are as good footballers as what we have. But they are very good professionals. And they're very, very tough."

The Motsepe effect

Perhaps in the past, Al Ahly have gotten away with a lot of unfair playing conditions, with their supporters crossing the line at times.

However, De Sá believes that with South African citizen Patrice Motsepe serving as CAF President for a second consecutive term, the Egyptians will be wise to keep their fans in check during the second-leg fixtures.

"But there are other factors. In my time, we didn't have a South African CAF President. It does make a slight difference, I think. I think it's in the back of your head because you know, at least the president of the federation is from your own country," he said.

"We can all deny it and stand on our heads about it, I think deep down, we all know that it does play a part. There's a chance we could still have a South African final, but it will be a tall order. It's going to be a tough one."