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Brazilians jet in

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CASH-RICH South African Super Diski outfit, Mamelodi Sundowns, arrived in Bulawayo yesterday afternoon for an international friendly match against Highlanders at Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow.

CASH-RICH South African Super Diski outfit, Mamelodi Sundowns, arrived in Bulawayo yesterday afternoon for an international friendly match against Highlanders at Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow.

REPORT BY FORTUNE MBELE SPORTS REPORTER

A delegation of more than 50 Sundowns players and officials, including security personnel, touched down at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport and headed to a local hotel where they are putting up, with technical director Trott Moloto saying they meant serious business.

Sundowns take on Bosso at Emagumeni tomorrow before playing Caps United on Friday and Dynamos on Sunday in Harare. They were met at the airport by Highlanders chairman Peter Dube and secretary Andrew Tapela, who later accompanied them to the hotel.

Zimbabweans Esrom Nyandoro, Method Mwanjali and Nyasha Mushekwi are part of the club’s entourage that is touring Zimbabwe as they prepare for the resumption of the 2012-2013 Absa Premiership season.

“All the players that are here are playing members of the team. This is an opportunity for us. We are coming to play a big team with a lot of history. We want to test ourselves with the best before we resume our league. We are quite happy to be here,” Moloto said.

Moloto added that the team will be resting after a rigorous training programme last week in Polokwane and will then resume training at Luveve Stadium today.

“There is not going to be any training today. We have been in camp in Polokwane for a week and played a big team in the Mvela League and the coach (Pitso Mosimane, who travelled with the team) feels players should rest. They will loosen up here at the hotel later on, but it will be a private session. We will have training tomorrow (today),” Moloto said.

The veteran football administrator said they will have another practice session in Bulawayo on Thursday before flying out to Harare on Friday morning for the game against Caps United. They will train in the capital on Saturday before playing DeMbare the following day.

Moloto said they will have the comprehensive programme of their stay in Zimbabwe by today and are considering paying a courtesy call on their former player legend Peter Ndlovu who was injured in a horrific accident that claimed his brother Adam.

“We are looking at paying a courtesy call on Peter Ndlovu, but we are going to be guided by the organisers here. That will be a good thing for us to do,” Moloto said.

Peter, capped 100 times by the Warriors and scoring a record 38 goals, won two league championships with Sundowns between 2004 and 2008, making 81 appearances and scoring 20 goals.

Sundowns are without goalkeeper Dennis Onyango who suffered a bout of malaria, injured Punch Jan Masenamela and Lebohang Mokoena.

Moloto added yesterday they were also without Anthony Laffor and two surprises — a Ghanaian and Togolese who could not travel due to visa problems, but that had been sorted out and they could be joining the squad today.

Goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands and Katlego Mphela are with Bafana Bafana. On Sunday they made it to the quarter-finals of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations.

Former Bafana Bafana players Teko Modise and Surprise Moriri are part of the team that will play Highlanders. Moloto said they were happy with the hospitality they received on arrival in Zimbabwe and were looking forward to a happy stay.

Sundowns have brought in all members of their technical staff, excluding analyst Harris Chueu, who toured the facilities with Moloto about a fortnight ago.