Michel sees new club Sundowns draw in Cape Town

New Mamelodi Sundowns coach Henri Michel watched from the stands as his team draw 0-0 with Santos in a South African Premiership match at wind-swept Athlone Stadium on Wednesday.

The 61-year-old Frenchman has signed a 31-month deal reportedly worth 60,000 euros a month and will be assisted by Moroccan Mohammed Samir with French fitness trainer Flourent Motta also joining the 'Brazilians'.

Michel, who replaced former South Africa coach Trott Moloto after the most expensively assembled of the 16 Premiership clubs made a poor start to the season, was barred from the touchline because he is awaiting a work permit.

Sundowns created few chances and slipped to sixth place on the table after seven rounds, five points adrift of surprise pacesetters Wits University, a Johannesburg club run on a shoe-string budget.

After guiding France to third place at the 1986 World Cup, Michel spent most of his time in Africa, coaching Cameroon, Tunisia, Ivory Coast – who he took to their first ever World Cup finals in 2006 after leading them to that year's African Nations Cup final – and Morocco plus major clubs Raja Casablanca of Morocco and Zamalek of Egypt.