After a dramatic exit from the Nedbank Cup on Sunday evening, Mamelodi Sundowns’ head coach Miguel Cardoso is speaking out.
His team was eliminated by Kaizer Chiefs, who triumphed 2-1, thanks to goals from Wandile Duba and Ashley du Preez, who managed to cancel out Teboho Mokoena’s early opener for Sundowns.
The win sees Chiefs advance to the final, where they’ll face off against their rivals, Orlando Pirates, at Moses Mabhida Stadium next month.
Cardoso Questions the Legitimacy of Chiefs’ Winner
In the post-match press conference, Cardoso raised a controversial point.
He pulled out his cellphone and pointed to what he believed was an offside goal from Chiefs that secured their victory.
Despite this, the coach didn’t shy away from admitting that the equalizer came from a mistake on his team’s part.
“It’s clear, we can’t avoid it, it was an individual mistake that led to the 1-1 draw,” Cardoso said.
“But if you’re fair, you’d agree the game could’ve gone on without Chiefs having the chance to change the outcome.
Football is like that; mistakes are capitalized on, and today, the mistake came from us for the equalizer.
But we don’t blame anyone—we support the player and keep working to fix it.”
Calls for VAR in South African Football
Cardoso’s frustration didn’t end there. The coach pointed out that the lack of VAR in South African football continues to be a significant problem, especially after Du Preez’s winning goal.
“When you work in a country that doesn’t have VAR, things like this happen,” Cardoso explained.
“If you go back and look at the TV footage, you’ll see that a team lost because of a referee’s mistake.
We’ve had enough this season, with so many errors from officials.
I remember games we should’ve won, goals that should’ve counted, and today, we’re out because of an offside goal in the final minutes.”
He added, “It is what it is, but we have to stand tall and keep pushing forward.”
Chiefs Celebrate Long-Awaited Victory Over Sundowns
Sunday’s win marked a significant achievement for Kaizer Chiefs, as it was their first victory over Mamelodi Sundowns in 13 meetings.
Despite their success, Chiefs are still chasing silverware, having not won a trophy since 2015.