Cardoso brushes off pressure claims after Zwane starts Sundowns' CWC win
- Martin T
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has dismissed claims that he was pressured into starting Themba Zwane in their opening FIFA Club World Cup match on Wednesday.
Cardoso's troops secured a 1-0 victory over Ulsan HD of South Korea, with a first-half goal from Iqraam Rayners. This win puts the Betway Premiership champions at the top of Group F, which also includes Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense.
The match marked Sundowns' first competitive outing since their disappointing CAF Champions League final loss to Pyramids FC. The absence of veteran Bafana Bafana midfielder Themba Zwane in both legs of that final had drawn significant criticism from the club's supporters and pundits.
Zwane, 35, started the World Cup opener as captain and played 77 minutes against Ulsan HD before being substituted for Bathusi Aubaas.
During the post-match press conference, Cardoso was directly asked if the decision to play the popular star was influenced by external pressure.
"Regarding Themba, there are no ghosts from the past at all, or on me, the pressures from inside the club, with the board, with my players," Cardoso stated firmly. "You have pressure when you settle into a career of coaching like me."
He went on to clarify the reasoning behind Zwane's inclusion. "What happens is that Themba made a helluva two weeks of preparation, so that is the respect we need to have. People spoke a lot about that. It seems people didn’t understand he comes from a process of growth, since the moment he could enter the team and train."
Cardoso emphasised the importance of providing Zwane with the right conditions to perform, given his age and the fact that he recently recovered from a long-term injury.
"It’s important to give him the right opportunities so he can perform, and today was the right opportunity for him to play. So I had no problems putting him in, even having the risk of letting people think I’m putting him in because of pressure.”
Sundowns will now turn their attention to their second Group F fixture against Borussia Dortmund, scheduled for Saturday at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.
