Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler has declared he feels no sympathy for Mamelodi Sundowns after his team’s surprising 1-0 victory on Saturday.

The win snapped Sundowns’ incredible 54-game unbeaten run in the DStv Premiership.

Jaeden Rhodes emerged as the hero for City, scoring the only goal of the match and shattering Sundowns’ dream of an invincible league season. Reflecting on the victory, Tinkler made it clear he wasn’t offering any pity to the Brazilians.

“No, no pity,” Tinkler said firmly. “It’s about us. I don’t look at them, I look at us, and we haven’t had the season we aspired to have.”

While acknowledging the widening gap between City and Sundowns compared to last season, Tinkler downplayed attributing it solely to Sundowns’ superior squad quality and financial muscle.

“The gap between us and them has definitely grown,” he admitted. “But I think that’s down to the resources they have and the power that allows that.”

Tinkler further elaborated, drawing parallels with European giants: “Look across the world. Who’s winning leagues? Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich – they all have immense financial resources, and those teams end up winning their leagues.”

Despite City replicating their previous season’s point tally of 45, they finished a disappointing fifth this time around and fourth last term. Tinkler expressed frustration over the increased pressure he faced despite the same point total.

“The pressure put on me last season has no comparison to the pressure put on me this season, yet we finished on the same points,” lamented Tinkler.  

While City initially aimed to repeat their top-four finish, Tinkler is ultimately satisfied with how his team recovered from a concerning slump towards the end of the season.

Picture courtesy of Cape Town City