Despite guiding Mamelodi Sundowns to a historic CAF Champions League triumph in Morocco, head coach Miguel Cardoso has fired a warning shot at South African football authorities. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Miguel Cardoso believes South African football must seriously reassess how it supports clubs competing in Africa, after Mamelodi Sundowns reclaimed the CAF Champions League crown on Sunday evening.
Sundowns secured their second continental title following a tense 1-1 draw against AS FAR Rabat in Morocco, sealing a 2-1 aggregate triumph in the final. Yet, while celebrations erupted after the final whistle in Rabat, Cardoso quickly shifted focus toward the demands his side had endured throughout the closing stages of the campaign.
The Portuguese mentor revealed frustration with what he believes are unsustainable domestic conditions for clubs attempting to compete successfully on the continent.
“It is important that if South Africa is to have one team to win again soon, some dynamics have to change, to provide the right conditions,” said Cardoso, after the match.
His comments arrived after an exhausting period where Sundowns played seven matches in just 21 days, while simultaneously battling on two major fronts.
Although the Tshwane giants conquered Africa, they ultimately surrendered the Betway Premiership title to Orlando Pirates after falling short in the domestic race. Cardoso pointed specifically toward injuries suffered by key players during the demanding schedule.
“(Sunday), we had three potential Bafana Bafana players who could not play – Thapelo Morena, Aubrey Modiba and Bathusi Aubaas,” he explained.
Modiba had only recently suffered a hamstring injury during the first leg of the final, while Sundowns also entered the decisive match carrying several physically compromised players.
“The last month exposed something not normal,” Cardoso added.
“They could have been very useful to us. It is time the people in charge of South African football think about what they want in terms of the development of football in the country.”
Despite those frustrations, the triumph also carried enormous emotional significance for both coach and club. Sundowns finally avenged last season’s heartbreak after losing the previous CAF Champions League final to Pyramids FC.
For Cardoso personally, the victory also ended the pain of back-to-back final defeats after previously losing with Espérance Sportive de Tunis in 2024.
“It is a sensation of pride,” he admitted.
“In the last few years it has been very difficult to be on the other side. But it was time. Last year I saw the tears in the players’ faces and we promised each other that this year there would again be tears, but they would be tears of joy.”
In the end, Sundowns survived the pressure, the schedule and the emotional burden of expectation to restore themselves to the summit of African football once again.