Coach Miguel Cardoso's frustration mounts as Sundowns' effort to ease fixture bottleneck fails

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has expressed his frustration after four Betway Premiership clubs declined Sundowns' request to accommodate an additional league fixture before the upcoming AFCON break.

The reigning champions are gearing up for a hectic CAF Champions League campaign and hope to free up space in their tightly packed schedule by playing one more domestic game before the continental group stages start after the international break.

In early October, Sundowns faced a painful exit from the Carling Knockout, falling to Marumo Gallants in an intense Round of 16 clash. Despite 120 minutes of gripping football that remained scoreless, Sundowns lost 7-6 in a dramatic penalty shootout at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

"Look, you know that and we saw it from last season that Sundowns had a lot of matches ahead," Cardoso noted. "We played matches in the middle of the week consistently because we believed we could go far in the Champions League as we did last year."

Enduring a challenging fixture schedule with the dual pressures of domestic and international commitments, Sundowns aimed to ensure their players were not overburdened leading into the Champions League.

Cardoso emphasised the broader responsibility, stating, "When there's a South African team playing in the Champions League, it's not only representing the club or the badge that we have on the chest, but South African football. Everybody must know that."

Sundowns had approached several teams with free weekends to play an additional match, but met with resistance.

"We are trying to play a match on the weekend of the Carling Knockout semi-finals (when only four teams were in action). We were going team by team in the PSL to see who could accept to play against us this Sunday, but already we tried four and no one wants to play," he explained.

His comments hinted at potential underlying issues, suggesting that the refusal to play could be tactical. "Maybe someone is telling us not to play against us on that weekend, but now we are trying, we are trying because we want to clean the future. We want to create conditions to succeed internationally, when sometimes we manage matches."

Drawing parallels with his previous experience at Esperance, Cardoso expressed frustration with the current league structure, noting that "the biggest teams in Africa do not play in the middle of the week because the domestic schedule is structured that way."

He said, "When I was with Esperance last year, we didn't need to request match changes because the schedule supports teams in the Champions League."

As the pressure mounts for Sundowns to adequately prepare for their demanding international fixtures, Cardoso remains adamant about the need for suitable conditions.

"We need to play the matches on the fixtures where they are. We want to prepare properly to compete with the biggest teams in Africa and represent South African football the best way we can," he concluded.