Ivory Coast great Salomon Kalou has lauded the quality of South African football after watching Mamelodi Sundowns take on Orbit College in the Betway Premiership.
Sundowns secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Orbit College at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Monday, with Kalou among the notable spectators in the stands.
The former Chelsea winger was left impressed by the standard of play from both teams, linking the competitiveness of the domestic league to the recent rise of the South African national team.
Attending his first-ever Premiership fixture, Kalou praised the intensity and technical ability on display, describing the league as highly competitive and packed with quality players.
He suggested that such performances help explain Bafana Bafana’s strong showings in recent years.
South Africa have enjoyed a resurgence under head coach Hugo Broos since his appointment in 2021, highlighted by a bronze medal finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Reflecting on the match, the 38-year-old believes the strength of the local league has been instrumental in the national team’s success.
“Well, it’s really fun. It’s my first game, my first PSL game, so I was very excited to see that and beautiful football,” Kalou said on SuperSport TV after the match.
“Sundowns played very well today. I thought they didn’t force that much. They could have scored more goals, but it was very nice to see the game.
“It was very nice to see them, to see the game, and you can see that the South African league is very competitive and we have got very good players.
“Now, I understand why Bafana Bafana have been doing so well in the past couple of years because the league is very strong,” he added.
