AmaZulu coach Truter refuses to throw in the towel to Sundowns

AmaZulu coach Brandon Truter says he refuses to throw in the towel to Mamelodi Sundowns, like other Premier Soccer League (PSL) coaches have.

Some coaches have declared t five-time successive champions Sundowns are too strong for any club in the league to compete with again in 2022-23.

Truter has started the season well with AmaZulu as they moved to the second on the DStv Premiership log with their goalless draw with Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Usuthu are also in the MTN8 semifinals, where they will face Chiefs over the two-legged tie next month.

Truter maintains his stance that Usuthu are aiming to win the MTN8 and also do their best in the Premiership title pursuit. He said any coach who doesn’t believe they can challenge for top honours shouldn’t be in the Premiership.

Truter also believes he has a team at Usuthu that can help him achieve his big ambitions.

“I think after the TS Galaxy game [AmaZulu's 0-0 draw in their opening league game] when I said, ‘We are hoping to challenge, we are looking to win something’, I saw some people laughing at me, doubting me at that moment,” Truter said.

“But I think if you are in this industry and you don’t have an ambition to win things, then you shouldn’t be [in it].

“I don’t think any team should have a target of top eight or trying to avoid relegation at the beginning of the season. You should aim high, tell yourself [you are going to win] and that becomes the confidence in the team as well.

“It’s like in the religion of Christianity when you speak of light and it becomes light. That’s the belief I have at the moment. I can’t be here just to make up the numbers in the league, or going for top eight or top four positions. We speak about winning things.”

While Truter believes giving up shouldn’t be an option, he does concede Sundowns have opened a huge gap between them and their competition.

“Yes, there are four teams that are left in the MTN8 that want to win it, so it is going to be tough and we are not under illusions. We are just going to close the gap that has been created by Sundowns overnight,” the coach said.

“We are not stupid by saying ‘Yes, we want to win it’. No, it’s a process.

“I think it took Pitso [Mosimane] four or five seasons to build Sundowns and the coaches there have continued with it.”

Usuthu face Chippa United in their next league game at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (3pm).