Spy claims define Mamelodi Sundowns, Miguel Cardoso's reunion with Rulani Mokwena

When Miguel Cardoso was brought to Mamelodi Sundowns in the summer of 2024, he was backed to be the “messiah” — the man to return the club to the pinnacle of African football after his predecessors fell short over the last eight years.

But for the first time in his tenure, the moment for Cardoso to truly live up to that tag and prove his tactical prowess has arrived. Ironically, it comes against the very man he replaced: Rulani Mokwena.

Mokwena has not only pushed Cardoso into a corner by standing in the way of Sundowns’ progression to the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League, but he is also at the centre of the mounting off-field pressure currently suffocating Chloorkop.

The former Sundowns coach is expected to arrive in the country this week with MC Alger for their decisive clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

He arrives armed with alleged insider knowledge. Following a scandal that broke on Tuesday, Sundowns’ performance analyst Mario Masha was suspended amid claims he leaked tactical plans and training drills to Mokwena in a "bromance" that reportedly spanned from August to December.

While Masha has denied the allegations, the timing is disastrous. The fact that communication allegedly continued through Sundowns’ goalless draw in Algiers in November, and only resulted in a suspension following the 1–1 draw with St. Eloi Lupopo last weekend, has left the Masandawana faithful reeling.

The Portugal-born coach has had the past few days to perform emergency damage control. He must now tweak a system that Mokwena reportedly knows inside out to ensure his side can counter whatever MC Alger has prepared.

It is through such adversity that a coach’s character is tested. Amid the pressure of a regressed style of play and lukewarm results — Sundowns have managed just one win in their last five group matches — Cardoso has previously claimed that coaches grow through challenges. Well, that time has arrived.

A convincing win on Saturday would do more than just secure a quarter-final berth; it would restore the trust of a management team that has shown remarkable patience. With Al Hilal sitting top of Group C on eight points and MC Alger in second on seven, Sundowns (six points) know that a draw is not enough. They must win to avoid their first group-stage exit since 2017.

The stakes are heightened by the ghosts of the past. Reports recently surfaced that Pitso Mosimane was being touted for a sensational return, though those talks reportedly collapsed due to ongoing legal proceedings.

For Cardoso, the shadow of both Mokwena and Mosimane looms large over the Loftus turf.

Having refused to walk away even when sections of the support turned against him, Cardoso must now "show up." Saturday is the only way to prove he remains the right man to lead the Brazilians back to the promised land.