Roger De Sa, Calvin Johnson outline recipe for South Africa's continental success

Success in the major African competitions has been few and far between for South Africa's biggest clubs, and two leading coaches believe a refocus is required to compete with the North African giants.

Speaking exclusively on the Vodacom Sisonke Diski Chat podcast, Roger de Sa and Cavin Johnson gave clear reasons for where they believe South African clubs are falling short of continental glory and how to change this.

Based on his experience, De Sa, who recently served as an assistant coach for Egypt national team assistant coach, said the logistical challenges posed by playing in Africa should not be underestimated, and South African clubs need to plan better for this.

"That balance of playing domestically and playing in continental competitions places a massive amount of strain on the team," the former Orlando Pirates mentor said.

"Those games in Africa drain you. As much as you think it's just a 90-minute football match, it isn't. There is a lot of travelling."

Both coaches believe that South African giants such as Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Pirates - who recently made the CAF Confederation Cup final - have the potential to be dominant in Africa.

However, adequate preparation and financial investment are just as key to this process as well as a change in the mindsets of both the players and the fans.

"You've got to prepare your team five or three years in advance as to what you want to achieve in Africa and how you're going to achieve it," said Johnson, who was Pitso Mosimane's assistant for one season at Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

"The financial part of it takes the biggest knock in order to play in these competitions, so you need to get your team sponsored properly for this. The mentality of the players is also key.