Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says he felt no pressure to start star midfielder Themba “Mshishi” Zwane, despite the outcry following their loss to Pyramids FC in the CAF Champions League final in May.
Sundowns’ ardent supporters have been complaining that the veteran midfielder wasn’t given enough playing time during the two-leg finals, and they continue to blame Zwane’s absence for the team’s inability to win a second African star.
Sundowns’ 2025 Fifa Club World Cup campaign got off to a fantastic start on Wednesday when they defeated Ulsan HD 1-0.
Topping Group F
They now have three points and are in first place in Group F after Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund drew 0-0 in the other game.
After the win over Ulsan, Cardoso gave an explanation, saying Zwane has been putting in a lot of effort over the past two weeks.
“There is pressure for everyone; there is pressure for all the players. Themba had a rigorous two weeks of preparations,” said Cardoso.
“I have spoken a lot about it. He has returned from a long layoff, and it is important for us to provide him with a good opportunity to perform – this was the right chance for him to play.
“So, I had no problem putting him in, even though people think that I am playing him because of pressure.”
A tough game awaits Sundowns
He continued: “No, I made the decision consciously, without any kind of force, because I have such respect for my players that they know I don’t joke with them; we play fair, we trust, and we have a lot of values in our locker room that go beyond the question that was raised in the press.
“We have strong values; we trust each other. I trust my administration, and they trust me, and we will continue moving forward until the day life happens.
“We made a wonderful first half; it was important that we could keep the pace and not go away from the game plan to try and score the second goal, which was a small detail — centimetres. We could not do it.”
He added: “We are very happy to be in this experience, fulfilling dreams and making it an objective of winning a game at a Fifa Club World Cup in this new format of the tournament; it’s not easy to achieve victory; it was a long way until this moment.”
Sundowns’ next assignment will be the tough encounter against the German giants Dortmund on Saturday night.
The fixture will determine whether Downs will advance to the next stage of the competition.
