Cardoso reveals how they dealt with Adams’ loss during pre-season

Tlhopie Motsepe, Chairman of Mamelodi Sundowns and his players handover a signed photo during the memorial service of Jayden Adams at Stellenbosch Town Hall last month, Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has revealed how his players dealt with the emotional turmoil surrounding the death of midfielder Jayden Adams during their pre-season preparations. Adams’ death on July 11 forced Sundowns to delay their departure to Europe by nearly a week, allowing the squad to attend his memorial service at Stellenbosch Town Hall. The midfielder’s funeral was held on July 25 while the Brazilians were in camp in Austria, meaning the squad had to deal with the loss away from South Africa.

Cardoso admits the first few days of their European trip were particularly difficult for the players as they processed the loss of their teammate. “I think it was an important turnover in terms of emotions. We had to interrupt the pre-season due to the unfortunate passing of Jayden Adams,” he said.

The Portuguese coach believes travelling to Austria also gave the squad an opportunity to step away from their immediate surroundings and deal with their grief collectively. “We went to the memorial and we were not in the best place emotionally. Leaving the country and escaping a little bit was very important.

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It’s an important aspect to highlight to keep the team together,” he added. “As much as we still had to deal with the funeral, it was very important that we go through this collective emotion together. That is a very good thing because I think we ended the camp in the right spot.” Beyond the emotional side of their trip, Cardoso believes the Austria camp was crucial from a footballing perspective as the Brazilians faced strong opposition during their time abroad.

Cardoso highlighted the importance of exposing his players to a higher level of competition, with one eye also on the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. “It’s difficult in South Africa because we don’t play in preparation against our strongest rivals. This is important regarding the future of this team and the competition we have this year.

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