Mamelodi Sundowns F.C.
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| Full name | Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Brazilians, Bafana baStyle, Masandawana, Kabo Yellow, Downs |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Ground | Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria |
| Capacity | 28,000 51,762 |
| Owner | Patrice Motsepe |
| Manager | Pitso Mosimane |
| League | ABSA Premiership |
| 2015–16 | ABSA Premiership, 1st |
Mamelodi Sundowns are a South African football club based in Pretoria that plays in the Premier Soccer League.
Since the inception of the PSL in 1996 Sundowns have won the league title a record seven times and they are the current CAF Champions League champions and 2016 CAF Club Of The Year. They have also won the Nedbank Cup four times, and hold the joint record of three National Football League Championships and they are the only South African team to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup
Sundowns are owned by billionaire mining magnate Patrice Motsepe. The club's nickname, The Brazilians, is a reference to their uniforms, which echo those of the Brazilian national team.
Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club originated from Marabastad, a cosmopolitan area North West of the Pretoria CBD.
The club was originally formed in the early 1960s by a group of youngsters, among them were Reginald Hartze, Joey Lawrence and Bernard Hartze, to mention but a few, and it became an official football club in 1970.
The club was affiliated to the Federation Professional Football League in 1973 and the same year reached the finals of the Coca-Cola Cup where they played against Berea United and lost 5–3.
In 1978, the Federation Professional Football League threw their weight behind the then National Professional Football League. This meant the end of the Federation Professional Football League and the subsequent relegation of Sundowns to the second division.
For five years 'Downs battled to gain promotion and during that period the Sundowns management resolved to disband the club but instead the club relocating to Mamelodi in the early 1980s.
In 1985 South African football was the first sport to become non-racial and the National Soccer League was formed incorporating the top clubs in the country.
Sundowns earned promotion to the NPSL in 1983 but in their first season in top-flight football, they found the going difficult until Zola Mahobe came on board in 1985 and appointed Ben Segale as their coach.
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