Miguel Cardoso admits internal issues at Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has acknowledged the internal issues plaguing the club, admitting that dealing with the situation is “not easy.”

Over the last few weeks, Sundowns have been under a cloud of controversy following reports of unhappiness among several first-team players. The situation comes amidst the club’s mixed start to the 2025/26 season, which included a 4-0 MTN8 quarter-final victory over Richards Bay FC, a disappointing 1-1 league draw against Chippa United, and a 2-0 win over AmaZulu FC.

The team has been without key players Khuliso Mudau and Lucas Ribeiro Costa in all three matches, with both reportedly attracting transfer interest and their futures at the club remaining uncertain. Talented wingers Thapelo Maseko and Kutlwano Letlhaku are also believed to be unsettled, seeking more game time elsewhere.

Maseko recently took to Instagram to express his frustration, revealing he had lost his “love for football” due to feeling “unseen” despite his efforts in training.

Addressing the situation, Cardoso stated that the players’ relationships make it difficult to contain the issues. “It’s not easy to deal with what’s happening in the team, and it will be naive to believe that it’s not impacting the team,” he said.

“We would be absolutely naive to think that things can happen and players don’t relate with those things because they do, they are friends, they share the locker room, and I’m sure they speak,” Cardoso continued.

“But it’s possible to keep a strong mentality and a strong will to win every match despite those things happening. That’s the value we have in the locker room; we don’t allow the direction of the team to be impacted in a bad way because of the events that might happen.”

Cardoso linked the unrest to the team’s strong showing at the recent Club World Cup, which he believes has led to a flurry of proposals. “The [transfer] market is always very tough, and after the Club World Cup, where the team performed at the level that they have, there’s always the instability with proposals that arrive, but the club is very professional with how to deal with these things,” he explained.

He concluded by expressing optimism that the issues will be resolved over time, trusting in the maturity of his squad. “The maturity we have in the locker room will allow players to know that things are being handled in the right way. It will take time because you need time to solve those things, but in proper time, they will be solved.”