Mamelodi Sundowns, who have previously won the CAF Champions League but lost in the semis and narrowly missed the final last season, are determined to secure their second elusive continental star.
However, throughout this journey, their coach, Miguel Cardoso, recognizes the pressure associated with winning the Champions League at a club like Sundowns and emphasizes the need to avoid letting it become an obsession, as former coach Rulani Mokwena previously cautioned.
“I think we need to have a clear focus on winning competitions, and it’s not only on winning the Champions League,” Cardoso said during a press briefing at their training base in Chloorkop on Thursday ahead of their Group C opening match against Saint-Eloi Lupopo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“But I know that throughout the competition, everybody will put the team under pressure, saying we are the ones who should win, and they are the ones who are just participating.
“Obviously, we have a desire; we have an intention [of winning the Champions League], but I doubt that the word ‘obsession’ is the right one because obsession for me is already a little bit in a medical state.”
2016 Champions League victory
The first and last time Sundowns won the Champions League was back in 2016 under coach Pitso Mosimane.
The closest they’ve come to winning it again was when they lost 3-2 on aggregate to the Egyptian side Pyramids last season.
“For the Champions League, it’s a trophy that the club has sought for 10 years. Unfortunately, last year we were unable to give this pleasure to South Africa in general, but mostly to our fans and our club.
“As you might imagine, I’m even in a worse situation because for two years in a row, I was there [in the final], and I could not win.
“However, this will not diminish our resolve; instead, it will provide us with the energy to pursue a clear understanding that ultimately, victory comes down to details. We hope to be in that crucial moment and emerge stronger.”
He went on: “There’s a lot to do before we arrive there; we should think about winning the group stages, and to win the group stages, we need to win the next match, and the next match is the most important match of our lives—that’s how we are going to face this match [vs Lupopo].”
Sundowns will host Lupopo at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday at 3pm.
