‘Someone more clever made it difficult for us’: Fumes Sundowns’ Cardoso

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso struggled to contain his frustration following a volatile 1-1 draw against Siwelele FC on Wednesday, aiming pointed, cryptic criticism at the match officiating as the Betway Premiership title race took another dramatic turn.

The result at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium, coupled with midweek action elsewhere, sees the defending champions fall two points behind leaders Orlando Pirates.

While the Sundowns mentor stopped short of directly name-dropping the referee to avoid sanction, his post-match comments left little to the imagination regarding his view of the technical handling of the contest.

Red Card Turmoil For Sundowns

The match reached a boiling point towards the end when crucial Sundowns midfielder Teboho Mokoena was shown a second yellow card, reducing the visitors to 10 men.

The dismissal appeared to be the catalyst for Cardoso’s explosive post-match interview with SuperSport, where he suggested the outcome was dictated by factors other than the players’ performance.

The ‘Clever’ Comments By Cardoso

“We had massive control in the second half,” a visibly upset Cardoso stated. “We scored, but someone on the pitch, more clever than everyone else, decided to make the game difficult for us.”

Cardoso continued, painting a picture of a lopsided contest in terms of intent. “That’s the story of the game… In this match, there was Sundowns trying to score and the other team just handling them, nothing more.”

When pressed to clarify if his reference to “someone clever” was indeed the referee, Cardoso was evasive, clearly wary of PSL disciplinary measures.

“I said there was someone clever, I didn’t speak about the referee. It’s up to you to analyse; you have the TV, and you can say what you saw, not me. I don’t know. I don’t want to be punished.”

With Pirates now holding the advantage at the summit, Cardoso’s frustration highlights the immense pressure mounting at Chloorkop to maintain their dominance in the Premiership.