KAIZER Chiefs, for many years the stand-out club in the storied history of South African football, are enjoying the full glare of African soccer after their quartet were named in the latest Caf Champions League Team of the Week.
Following the slender 1-0 upset semi-final first-leg triumph over two-time champions Wydad AC, Chiefs have four players in the official Champions League Team of the Week. It was the most players ever drawn from the ranks of Amakhosi to be included in the team.
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The quartet includes the lone goal-scorer in the match, Samir Nurkovic, man of the match Bruce Bvuma, Eric Mathoho and Njabulo Blom.
Of interest to SA fans will be that former Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane also enjoyed a measure of the spotlight with this announcement. His club, the Cairo-based Al Ahly, have five representatives in the team.
Chiefs' African adventure has done wonders for the club, who now count among the four strongest clubs in Africa despite their lowly eighth-place finish in the Premiership.
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Chiefs, along with Mamelodi Sundowns, have also helped to raise the profile of SA football, and this will reflect in the rankings of national federations under the Caf umbrella.
No one would have given Chiefs a chance to triumph in Morocco last weekend, given their poor form in the past few months.
However, since their win, Chiefs' profile has changed considerably.
Caf Champions League Team of the Week
Bruce Bvuma (Kaizer Chiefs), Akram Tawfik (Al Ahly), Eric Mathoho (Kaizer Chiefs), Badr Benoun (Al Ahly), Ilyes Chetti (Esperance), Walid El Karti (Wydad AC), Aliou Dieng (Al Ahly), Hamdi Fathi (Al Ahly), Njabulo Blom (Kaizer Chiefs), Samir Nurkovic (Kaizer Chiefs), Mohamed Sherif (Al Ahly)