The amazing run by South Africa's remaining clubs in the two CAF inter-club competitions has elevated the country to new heights since the continental football controlling body streamlined its structures.
Sundowns are through to the semi-finals of the Champions League and now have a date with Wydad Casablanca while Marumo have miraculously reached the last four of the Confederation Cup with Young Africans their next opponents.
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In the years since 2004 when CAF started having two club competitions (instead of three when CAF had the African Cup of Champions Clubs – later known as Champions League, CAF Cup, and African Cup Winners' Cup), this is the first time that South Africa has two clubs in the semi-finals.
Before that two South African clubs reached the semi-finals of two of the three club competitions that CAF had at the time.
This was in 2001.
Kaizer Chiefs were in the semi-finals of the African Cup Winners Cup on their way to lifting that trophy while Sundowns went all the way to the final of the Champions League which they lost to Al Ahly.
That same year Ajax Cape Town came stuck in the quarterfinals of the CAF Cup after falling to Etoile du Sahel.
CAF then merged the CAF Cup and the African Cup Winners Cup in 2004 to have the Confederation Cup
Then in the period since both competitions started having semi-finals only Nigeria (2009), Tunisia (2010), Morocco and Tunisia (2011), Tunisia (2013), Morocco and Tunisia (2017), Egypt (2018), Morocco and Tunisia (2018/19), Egypt and Morocco (2019/20 and 2020/21), and Morocco (2021/22).
With South Africa having two clubs in the last four of CAF's club competitions it raises the prospects of a possible CAF Super Cup meeting pitting clubs from the same country for the second year running should both PSL clubs emerge winners in their respective competitions.
Last year, Moroccan clubs RS Berkane and Wydad met in the CAF Super after winning the Confederation Cup and Champions League respectively following on what Tunisian clubs did 15 years ago.
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