Runaway PSL champs Downs not at fault for 'farmers league' - it's time for the rest to wake up

Mamelodi Sundowns have a lot in common with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

On Wednesday, the Brazilians snatched their fifth consecutive league title, four days shy of Bayern claiming their 10th successive Bundesliga crown.

PSG celebrated a record-equalling 10th Ligue 1 title as well.

In the current 2021/22 campaign, Sundowns still have four matches to play in the DStv Premiership, while Bayern have three and PSG four.

Sundowns have won seven titles in the past decade, while PSG claimed eight. Bayern have done the unthinkable with 10 consecutive league wins.

PSG are known to attract big-name players across Europe and are willing to break the bank to cuff them to lucrative deals with high salaries.

Sundowns and Bayern are quite similar in their transfer strategies. Both teams frequently poach players from clubs in their league, weakening their opponents as they offer a much higher remuneration for services offered. 

South African football fans are aware of how Sundowns have operated, and in an open market, no other teams feel they have a chance to counter-offer what the Motsepe-owned club can table for a player.

While we cannot compare the football being played between Sundowns, Bayern and PSG, the narrative of what is happening in the DStv Premiership, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 is staggeringly similar.

Over the years, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 have become known among football fans as the "farmers league" - a derogatory term used by fans to describe a league they consider not to be competitive.

And in the past four years (at least), South African fans have expressed the same murmurs about the Premiership, given Sundowns' sheer dominance on the field and off it.

But should we place all the blame on Sundowns? Why are they