Mamelodi Sundowns, the reigning kings of South African football, have quietly but dramatically upgraded their famous Chloorkop training base, with major renovations including the long-awaited paving over of the clubhouse area’s notorious dust bowl. The changes, first revealed in viral videos posted by fan account @alexsithole, have set the footballing world abuzz, with fans and rivals alike linking the sprucing up to the R175 million windfall the club earned from last year’s FIFA Club World Cup appearance in the United States.
The videos, which have collectively garnered over 2 million views across X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Instagram, show a transformed training facility. Where once players and staff navigated a dusty, uneven patch of ground outside the clubhouse—often turning brown and muddy after summer rains—there is now sleek, modern paving. The area has been leveled, tiled, and landscaped, giving the base a distinctly more European feel.
“For years, that dust bowl was a running joke,” said football journalist Andile Ncube. “You’d see Sundowns players in their expensive boots, walking across dirt like it was a rural schoolyard. Now? It looks like a proper elite facility. It’s a small change, but it sends a big message.”
The Viral Videos That Broke the News
The renovations might have gone unnoticed by the wider public if not for @alexsithole, a well-known Sundowns fan account that regularly posts behind-the-scenes content from the club’s training ground. On Monday morning, the account shared a series of clips showing workers putting the finishing touches on the new paved area, with the caption: “Chloorkop looking different 👀 The dust bowl is no more! #Sundowns #KaboYellow.”
Within hours, the clips had been shared thousands of times. Other fan accounts added their own commentary, with many noting the coincidence of the upgrades following Sundowns’ lucrative run in the United States last year.
One fan, @TauTheGreat, wrote: “Remember when people said the Club World Cup money would be wasted? Look at Chloorkop now. Paved. Professional. World-class. That’s how you reinvest.”
Another, @KaboYellowForever, added in Zulu: “Imali yeClub World Cup ifikile” – “The Club World Cup money has arrived.”
The phrase quickly became a trending topic among South African football fans, with Sundowns supporters celebrating and rival fans left scrambling for new material.
The R175 Million Question
Sundowns qualified for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States by virtue of winning the 2023-24 CAF Champions League, defeating Wydad Casablanca in a dramatic final. The club traveled to the US in June and July 2025, where they faced some of the world’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid and Flamengo, in a expanded 32-team tournament.
While Sundowns did not advance beyond the group stage, their participation came with a massive financial boost. FIFA guaranteed each participating club a minimum of R175 million (approximately $9.5 million at the time), with additional performance-based bonuses. For a South African club accustomed to CAF Champions League prize money of around R40 million for winning the tournament, the Club World Cup windfall was transformative.
At the time, Sundowns’ sporting director Flemming Berg promised that the money would be “invested wisely” into the club’s infrastructure, youth academy, and scouting network. The paving at Chloorkop appears to be the first visible sign of that investment.
“This is exactly what fans want to see,” said sports economist Dr. Thabo Mkhwanazi. “Too often, South African clubs receive large sums of money and it disappears into player bonuses, agent fees, or luxury cars. Sundowns is putting money into bricks and mortar—or in this case, paving and tiles. That’s long-term thinking. That’s how you build a sustainable football empire.”
The Chloorkop Dust Bowl: A Running Joke No More
For those unfamiliar with Sundowns’ training base, the “dust bowl” might seem like a trivial detail. But for players, staff, and journalists who have visited Chloorkop over the years, it was a persistent source of mild embarrassment and easy ridicule from rival fans.
The training base itself is world-class in many respects, with pristine pitches, a state-of-the-art gym, recovery facilities, and a modern clubhouse. However, the area immediately outside the clubhouse—where players park their cars, gather before and after training, and board the team bus on match days—was famously unpaved. Dusty in winter, muddy in summer, it was an anachronism in an otherwise elite facility.
“When we used to go there for media days, we’d always joke about it,” said sports broadcaster Robert Marawa. “You’d see a multimillion-rand player walking across dirt in his designer sneakers. It became a meme. Rival fans loved it. ‘Sundowns have all that money, but they can’t afford paving.’ Well, now they can.”
Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs fans, in particular, have long used the dust bowl as a punchline. “Sundowns is a hotel FC, but their players train in a farmyard,” one popular Chiefs fan account once tweeted.
Now, with the paving complete, that particular jab has been retired. Rival supporters have taken note—and many are not happy about losing their favorite insult.
“First they win everything, now they have paving? What’s next? Indoor plumbing?” joked one Pirates fan, though the laughter had a hint of bitterness.
Another wrote: “There goes our only insult. ‘Dust bowl’ is no more. We have nothing left. Sundowns have truly won.”
On the Pitch: Reserves Chasing the Title
While the paving made headlines off the pitch, Sundowns’ future stars were busy making their own statement on it. At the time the renovation videos went viral, the club’s reserve team was leading 2-0 at halftime against Polokwane City in a DStv Diski Challenge fixture at the Chloorkop training ground.
The Diski Challenge, South Africa’s premier reserve league, is where Sundowns’ next generation is honed. The club has invested heavily in its youth academy in recent years, and the results are beginning to show. Sundowns’ reserves are currently second on the log, chasing defending champions Orlando Pirates, who sit at the top.
Goals from promising youngsters Katlego Motaung and Siyabonga Ndlovu gave Sundowns a comfortable halftime lead. The second half was played out under the floodlights, with the newly paved clubhouse area visible in the background—a symbol of the club’s commitment to excellence at every level.
“Winning the Diski Challenge is important for us,” said reserve team coach David Notoane after the match, which Sundowns went on to win 3-1. “It shows that our pipeline is working. The boys are hungry. They see what the first team is doing, and they want to be part of it. The new facilities? It’s a bonus. It shows them that the club cares about their environment.”
Fan Reactions: Celebration and Envy
The reaction from the Sundowns faithful has been overwhelmingly positive. For a club that has won seven of the last eight PSL titles, the upgrades are seen as another sign that Sundowns is operating on a different level from the rest of South African football.
“People laugh at us for celebrating paving. But it’s not about the paving,” said Thabo Mokoena, chairperson of the Sundowns Supporters’ Branch in Soweto. “It’s about what the paving represents. It represents professionalism. It represents investment. It represents a club that is always looking to improve, even in the smallest details. That is why we are champions.”
Others have taken a more humorous approach. One popular Sundowns meme account posted a photo of a player walking across the new paving with the caption: “My feet have never been so clean. Thank you, FIFA.”
Rival fans, meanwhile, have been forced to pivot. Some have resorted to mocking the timing of the upgrades. “They got R175 million and all they did was pave a driveway?” joked one Chiefs supporter. “We paved our entire Naturena base years ago. With our own money. Not FIFA handouts.”
But such comments ring hollow to many neutrals. Sundowns earned their Club World Cup spot on the pitch, beating some of Africa’s best clubs to win the Champions League. The money was not a handout; it was a reward for success.
What’s Next for Sundowns?
The paving at Chloorkop is likely just the beginning. Sources close to the club suggest that Sundowns plans to use a significant portion of the Club World Cup earnings to upgrade the training base further, including the construction of a new indoor training facility, expanded medical and recovery suites, and additional accommodation for academy players who board at the club.
“There is a master plan,” said a club insider who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The paving is phase one. Phase two will be more substantial. The club wants Chloorkop to be the best training facility in Africa, bar none. We are not there yet, but we are getting closer.”
Sundowns have also invested in their scouting network, with reports of new talent identification partnerships in West Africa and South America. The club’s ambition, long whispered, is now openly stated: to not just compete in the CAF Champions League, but to win the FIFA Club World Cup one day—or at least to reach the latter stages on a regular basis.
“Paving is nice. But we want trophies,” said one Sundowns supporter outside the Chloorkop base. “The Club World Cup money is a tool. The real goal is to go back to that tournament and do better. To beat a Real Madrid or a Manchester City. That’s the dream.”
A Small Step, A Giant Leap
In the grand scheme of things, a paved walkway is a minor renovation. It is not a new stadium. It is not a world-class academy. It is not a superstar signing.
But in the hyper-competitive world of South African football, where every detail is scrutinized and every perceived weakness is exploited, the paving at Chloorkop is more than concrete and tiles. It is a statement.
It says: We are not resting. We are not satisfied. We are not like the rest.
And for the millions of Sundowns fans who have endured years of mockery from rivals—who have been told that their club is all flash and no substance, that their success is bought, that their training ground is a farmyard—the new paving is sweet vindication.
The dust bowl is gone. The jokes are over. And the champions march on.
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