Mamelodi Sundowns’ failure to capture their second CAF Champions League star has really left supporters confused, dazed and very angry. Surely, playing against newbies, Pyramids FC, was the biggest opportunity for the Brazilians to romp home with the face-lifted trophy and show the African continent that they want to elbow the great Al Ahly from the mountain top.
Pyramids may be on the rise, but they are not Al Ahly; they are not even Zamalek or Esperance. So, it is fair to say that Downs lost their biggest chance in 10 years to claim a historic victory against a rather small, up-and-coming club.
In fact, they made Pyramids’ victory even sweeter. That they trampled over two South African giants, having done a demolition job on Orlando Pirates in the semifinals, is something the club’s ambitious bosses and supporters will always remember.
The equaliser at Loftus, deep in injury time, will always feel like a spear in the hearts of the Sundowns supporters.
Their embarrassed fans, still have a sour taste in the mouth and want answers from coach Miguel Cardoso and also from the club bosses. It has really dampened their spirits ahead of the Fifa Club World Cup that’s starting in a week’s time.
From Cardoso, they want the Portuguese to unpack why he saw it fit to leave star players Themba “Mshishi” Zwane and Peter Shalulile out of the starting line-up, when the stakes were so high. And also, Cardoso will need to polish up on his English when he explains how on earth, he opted to put in Lebo Mothiba, a player who had not played a competitive match in two years.
The management will also have to extrapolate to the crestfallen supporters why is Cardoso’s shiny chiskop not on the chopping block, yet. Some of the fans, who are still stunned by the club’s decision to fire Rulani Mokwena, now want him back.
They feel firing Rulani made no sense. He lost one game in the league. He won the AFL trophy, lost the Nedbank Cup final against Pirates and reached the semifinal of the CAF Champions League.
The reason Sundowns fired Mokwena was because he failed to win the Champions League. So, it makes sense that Cardoso too, must samba his way out of the Brazilians camp. They have set a dangerous precedent.
For now, it is understandable, because they will open their campaign at the Club World Cup in a week and it will be foolhardy to get a new coach.
Well, we all know about the big clubs and global powerhouses at the Club World Cup, and it is safe to say that Downs will be back home faster than you can say “Kabo Yellow!” So, we will be waiting with bated breath whether Cardoso gets a straight flight home to Trofa, Portugal.
And if he does not suffer the same consequences as Mokwena, then we will know that indeed sehlare sa motho ke lekgowa (a white man knows how to solve/control a black man – loosely translated).
