The pressure is mounting for Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach Miguel Cardoso, as analysts suggest that winning the CAF Champions League final is crucial for his job security.
This warning follows a disappointing end to Sundowns’ 2025/26 Betway Premiership season, where they suffered a 3-2 defeat to TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday.
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With this latest result, the eight-time consecutive champions now face intense scrutiny, as Orlando Pirates trail closely behind with two matches still to play. If the Pirates secure the league title, it would signify a barren domestic season for Sundowns, leaving their ambitions hanging on the continental competition against Morocco’s ASFAR later this month.
Analyst Benedict Vilakazi, affectionately known as ‘Tso’, emphasized the urgency of the situation: “Right now, I’m not going to lie to you he cannot lose two trophies,” he remarked in a discussion on iDiski TV.
<p“He needs to get one. Remember what the management of Mamelodi Sundowns and the Directors and the Chairman want is the Champions League. So, he’s got that opportunity to say I can get that trophy for you guys.”
However, Vilakazi painted a bleak picture of Sundowns’ current squad, likening them to an aesthetically pleasing vehicle lacking essential components: “Unfortunately, he’s going with a team, you know how back then they used to put wheel caps on car wheels, it looks beautiful, but he’s got a team without wheel caps, just old rims. That’s the sad part but I just wish them all the best.”
He continued to stress the importance of success in the upcoming match, stating, “It’s a must-win trophy for him. If he doesn’t win the Champions League, I don’t think it’s going to be easier for him to be at Sundowns next season.”
Vilakazi also expressed concerns over the defensive vulnerabilities within the team as they head into the final. “Sundowns at the back were vulnerable. We spoke about it in terms of the defence shaking. I think the coach took out [Grant] Kekana to save him for the Champions League. Other than that, that defence was not balanced and as they go to the Champions League final with this defence, I’m worried.”
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