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Let's walk the talk.

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Streaming on the Prime Media

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Plus app. DSTV Channel

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856 and 92 .7 and

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106 FM. Well

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right now the footballers of

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Mamalodi Sundowns are currently in

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the dressing room somewhere down

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in the depths of the

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Cairo International Stadium. 75 ,000 people

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I believe will be packed

0:43

in. Their opponents Al -Akhli

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are giants of not just

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Egyptian football but of the

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continental game as well. And

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then a few hours later

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the same scenario being played

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out in a slightly smaller

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setting Orlando Pirates. are up

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against Pyramids FC. The context

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for both is identical. Nilnil

1:04

from the first leg,

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these are the semifinals of

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African football's biggest club

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prize. So what's it like

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to, for example, pee in that

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Cairo International Stadium, waiting to step

1:16

out into the roar of a

1:18

crowd who wish you nothing but

1:20

the worst? Mark Leeson, football commentator

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and African football expert, has been

1:25

there many times and has spoken

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to players who have played there.

1:29

Mark, very good afternoon to you,

1:31

and welcome. Is this

1:33

one of the most intimidating venues

1:35

in African football? I know

1:37

there are many others, but is

1:39

this right up there? I

1:42

think so, just from the pure noise

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levels. I would say elsewhere in

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North African, Morocco and Algeria, perhaps

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a little bit more intimidating, just

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from a noise level. But the

1:53

overall Kyra experience is quite a

1:55

nice one actually when you compare

1:57

it with a Nigeria or a

1:59

trip to the DRC. Very

2:01

nice playing surface. I think that

2:03

negates a lot of the advantage that

2:05

perhaps the crowd gives the home

2:07

side. The fact that you can go

2:10

there and play some proper football. Nice hotels obviously, easy

2:12

place to get to. It's

2:14

probably a trip that side footballers,

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if you have to give them A

2:19

list of places they prefer to

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go to the continent will

2:23

probably feature quite highly despite the

2:25

fact that that atmosphere is

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quite intimidating. Sundowns have done well

2:29

in this environment before, but

2:32

nil nil, it's very

2:34

much in the balance. What

2:37

kind of chance do you give

2:39

them coming out with a place

2:41

in the final? I'd

2:43

say about 35 to 40%. I

2:45

mean, it was expected that both

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Egyptian teams, when they were in

2:49

Khartan last week, were going to

2:51

play a defensive game, look for opportunities on

2:53

the counter -attack. That's pretty much the standard

2:55

model for them when they travel to South

2:57

Africa. And they're very wary of the technical

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ability of South African sides. Obviously, now they've

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got to go out and play a little

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bit. So that does open

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up gaps that I think a

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team like Sundown's Empire has both had

3:10

the capabilities of exploiting. Ultimately,

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I think it will come down to finishing. There

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will be a handful of chances in this game,

3:17

and it's the side that can stick

3:19

them away. I suppose that's football's all

3:21

about really at the end of the

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day, but I think these games are

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very, very tight with small windows, small

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margins of opportunity, and if you don't

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take them, you're going to be punished. Mark,

3:31

we'll talk about the other game

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in a moment. And by the way

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on the record, I mean, Sundowns

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have done really well against Al -Akhli.

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They've played 15 times since 2007, as

3:42

I understand it. Sundowns slightly ahead,

3:44

five wins to four and six draws.

3:46

But the atmosphere around the game,

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I mean, the players in the

3:50

hotel is the strategy generally, stay

3:53

in your rooms, don't go walking

3:55

too far, or in fact, our

3:57

Egyptian fans, fans of football in

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that you know, some time on

4:01

the streets might actually yield some

4:03

nice interactions? Yeah,

4:05

I'm not sure what they would have

4:07

done on this trip, but I mean, there's

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certainly been a lot of social media

4:11

stuff with the South African sides enjoying the

4:13

sights and sounds, permits in particular, and

4:16

climbing on camels and all that kind of

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touristy stuff. I think certainly, it depends

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where you're staying, of course. I mean, if

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you're staying on the banks of the

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Nile, where a lot of the hotels are

4:26

that the teams usually use, then there

4:28

is ample opportunity for a good old walk

4:30

and an opportunity to mingle and you'll

4:32

find Egyptians do like their football and are

4:34

very courteous I found and Feel

4:38

or certainly respect South African club football.

4:40

Yes, particularly highly So I think

4:42

there'd be a great deception if they

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were allowed out there I think

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that depends really on the on the

4:48

individual coaches of my perception of

4:50

both sundowns and pirates But incumbents

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at the moment is that they're pretty uptight.

4:55

So they probably were told to stay in

4:57

their rooms. Pyramids FC, a

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club with a much shorter history, founded

5:01

just 17 years ago, which some

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people say is a long time, but

5:06

in the life of a football

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club most certainly isn't. What

5:10

are pirates up against? Would Pyramids

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have a similarly fanatical and

5:14

passionate fan base? Obviously playing, I

5:17

would think, at a smaller

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venue, but what can you tell

5:21

us about them and your thoughts

5:23

on the Buccaneers' chances? Again,

5:26

I'd say about 40 odd percent. I

5:28

think there are virtually no fans. I

5:30

mean, they're like a lot of the

5:32

South African franchises, you know, you impose

5:34

really upon the league and looking for

5:36

people to support them. And I'd be

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surprised if they're more than a couple

5:40

of thousands watching that particular game. So

5:42

it certainly won't be any intimidation as

5:44

far as pirates are concerned. Pyramids

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have a very nice side this year.

5:49

And this is their year, you know,

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they're topping the Egyptian league. They're looking

5:53

for us. for a first day of

5:55

the Egyptian championship, that's probably just as

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high on the agenda as reaching the

5:59

Champions League final is, and are informed. But

6:01

then I suppose that we can say

6:04

the same about the Land of Pirates, about

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a wonderful year in terms of cup

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finals that they reached and the fact that

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they still in contention to maybe knock

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Mumbolovi Sundowns off the top of the table.

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So two evenly matched teams. I think

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the only thing that Perumas have got to

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go for themselves is that they're playing

6:20

at home. Thank you so much, Mark Gleason,

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football commentator, you know him well, expert

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on African football. Sundowns

6:27

fans, Pirates fans, how are you

6:29

feeling? Sundowns, you're going to find

6:31

out fairly soon. Kick off in just

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33 minutes time, but drop us a note

6:35

if you want to weigh in on

6:37

that. 27 minutes now past five o 'clock.

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It's business time.