Miguel Cardoso is struggling to make an impact at Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League. It’s a little over a year since Miguel Cardoso was appointed as the head coach ofMamelodi Sundowns. In December 2024,before even announcing that Manqoba Mngqithi had been fired,Sundowns released a statement introducing Cardosoas their new head coach.
Mngqithi’s firingand Cardoso’s appointment came at a time when Sundowns were top of theBetway Premiership, with eight wins from their nine games. It did not make sense, as it looked like things were going very well. It was reported at the time that Sundowns’ slow start in theCAF Champions League, plus failure to win the MTN8 and Carling Knockout Cup, contributed to the coaching change.
If that was the case, then Cardoso should be getting worried about his future right about now. The club have made a poor start to the Champions League, and Orlando Pirates won both the MTN8 and Carling Knockout Cup. In the league, Sundowns haven’t been as dominant as in previous years, and are involved in what is gearing up to be the closest title race in years.
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This past Friday, they wereon the wrong end of a 2–1 result against Sudanese club Al Hilal, the very club that held them to a 2–2 draw the week before. Friday’s result leaves them in danger of missing out on the knockout stage of the competition, with two games still to play. Whilethe club publicly backed their head coachafter he faced criticism from sections of the supporters, behind closed doors they will be wondering if appointing him was the correct decision.
Things haven’t gone as planned, and ifreports about the club meeting with former coach Pitso Mosimaneare true, then Cardoso’s time in charge is about to come to an end. The club’s only triumph on the continental stage was with Mosimane at the helm, and judging by thesupporters’ chants after last week’s draw at Loftus, they would love to have him back. Ultimately, Sundowns now find themselves at the same crossroads that made Cardoso’s appointment so controversial in the first place.
Standards at Chloorkop are unforgiving, and continental success remains the ultimate benchmark. With the title race tightening, the Champions League campaign wobbling, and the name Pitso Mosimane once again echoing around Loftus Versfeld, the margin for error is rapidly shrinking. Cardoso was hired to elevate Sundowns beyond domestic dominance – and unless results begin to match that ambition soon, the club may once again decide that patience is a luxury it cannot afford. * The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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