Japan is beautiful.

 Even highly industrialised it maintains it’s thousands of years of culture and charm.

The Japanese are beautiful.

 They are happy to meet you‚ and help you with everything that’s complicated and so very‚ very foreign – like their subway ticketing machines – in their spectacular‚ technological marvel of a country‚ they are ecstatic too.

Mamelodi Sundowns are beautiful too.

 The Japanese will not be so ecstatic if Downs were to beat their club at the Fifa Club World Cup (CWC)‚ Kashima Antlers‚ in Sunday’s quarterfinal at the 40 000-seater Suita City Football Stadium.

But these are such darn hospitable people that they would surely delight in Downs’ special brand of skilful‚ quick-passing‚ attacking football‚ if the team nicknamed the Brazilians manage to overcome stage fright and turn on their famous style to some extent against highly-organised Antlers.

This CWC is a rare opportunity for a South African team – currently the most convincing and aesthetically pleasing one we have by some margin – to display to the world what the country’s football can be.

For Downs‚ though‚ the emphasis will be to try to win.

 And that may require something a lot more pragmatic against fast-paced host opponents who will be effective in their organisational pattern at trying to smother what the men from Pretoria have in their deadly frontline.

Nonetheless‚ this tournament is an opportunity for Sundowns‚ and especially some of their rising attacking stars such as Percy Tau and Keagan Dolly‚ to showcase what they have to the world.

Teko Modise knows all about the big stage.

 He urged Tau and Dolly to utilise the globally-viewed stage they will be on to showcase their skills.

 “My advice to players like Tau and Dolly is to play their normal game. Because the way they play‚ they’ve attracted interest already and they’ve been playing well for the team‚” Modise said.

“They don’t need to do anything they haven’t been‚ or feel like they need to carry the team to the final.

“And enjoy this moment — because you never know if it will come again. As youngsters they need to grab the opportunity with both hands.”

Sundowns are at full strength‚ with no injury concerns. — TMG Digital