Cardoso speaks out on Ribeiro, Shalulile & Mudau absences

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has spoken out about the situations surrounding star players Lucas Ribeiro Costa, Peter Shalulile, and Khuliso Mudau, all of whom were notably absent from the team’s recent MTN8 quarter-final victory.

The trio missed Sundowns’ dominant 4-0 win over Richards Bay FC at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday. Despite their absence, Masandawana secured a comfortable victory.

This win sees the Brazilians advance to the MTN8 semi-finals, where they’ll face Orlando Pirates in a two-legged tie. But the absence of Shalulile, Mudau, and Ribeiro has been fueled by ongoing transfer rumours regarding their futures at the club.

Ribeiro, fresh off an impressive season where he scooped the Betway Premiership’s top goal-scorer, Goal of the Season, Player’s Player of the Season, and Footballer of the Season awards, has been linked with moves to Qatar SC in Qatar and Fluminense in Brazil.

Meanwhile, Shalulile is reportedly in talks with Esperance, and Khuliso Mudau is yet to finalise a new contract with Sundowns.

When pressed about the missing players, Cardoso adopted a cautious approach, stating that the club would make official announcements when appropriate.

“All those things are being sorted out by the club, and I’m sure they will be public in proper time,” Cardoso said at Lucas Moripe Stadium. He acknowledged the impact of such absences, noting that Thapelo Morena also missed the match due to a minor injury. “I understand what’s happening with Lucas, Peter, or Thapelo Morena… But as a coach, I would want to have the team as complete as possible, and all coaches want to receive reinforcements for the new season as quickly as possible,” he explained.

Despite these challenges, Cardoso emphasised his focus on finding solutions: “So it’s not where we are, but it doesn’t mean we can’t cope with our responsibilities. As a coach, I have to work on solutions rather than problems.”

He added that by reassuring fans about the team’s continued strength, “It’s obvious that we would have loved to start the season where we ended with all the players, but no one should think that Mamelodi Sundowns will be at a level that it shouldn’t be in. I’m sure the people in charge will take responsibility to organise the issues in a proper time.”