Cardoso: "Espérance benefits from better conditions than us!

Miguel Cardoso, the coach of Mamelodi Sundowns, criticized the South African football authorities for his team's congested schedule and the succession of matches.

Mamelodi Sundowns will face Espérance Sportive de Tunis next Tuesday (April 1) at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria, in the first leg of the CAF Champions League quarter-finals.

In statements reported by the site (Times Live), the former Espérance coach sharply criticized the South African football leaders by stating:

"When we play a CAF Champions League match, we do not only represent our club, but all of South African football. It is essential that those who manage football in South Africa understand this and provide the best conditions for competition."

He added:

"We are going to face a team that I coached last season. I know how they prepare for this competition. Their country does everything to offer them the best possible conditions. The last time Espérance played in the championship was about two weeks ago. They will arrive here on Saturday to continue their preparation for our match on Tuesday."

And he continued:

"This means they will have had 10 days without playing. Even the Tunisian national team did not select any players from Espérance, which proves they have not played in local competitions. Meanwhile, we just played a 120-minute match, a game that should never have been scheduled for Friday."

He also stated:

"This is not a club issue. If it concerned Orlando Pirates or Stellenbosch, I would have said the same thing because it is my vision of football. We are proud to see our players perform with the South African national team and shine under the Bafana Bafana jersey, to the point that I myself congratulated Hugo Broos. But in reality, we should have already started our preparation to face Espérance."

And he concluded:

"Sundowns is the club that will represent South Africa at the Club World Cup. It has won the championship seven times and deserves special attention from the officials. I just wanted to explain the situation, and it was important to talk about it."

It should be noted that Mamelodi Sundowns played a 120-minute match against Sekhukhune United yesterday to secure their qualification for the next round of the South African Cup (Nedbank Cup).

Read also: African competitions: CAF unveils the stadiums and dates for the quarter-finals!

Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.