‘A clear provocation’: Rulani slams Cardoso’s ‘disrespectful’ antics

Rulani Mokwena’s highly anticipated return to the Loftus Versfeld Stadium was marred by more than just a 2-0 defeat, as the MC Alger mentor took aim at Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso for what he termed a “clear violation” of the spirit of the game.

While the Brazilians secured their CAF Champions League quarter-final berth through a clinical brace from Bryan Leon, the post-match talk shifted rapidly to the touchline friction that saw Cardoso yellow-carded for encroaching on the opposition’s technical area.

Mokwena, who was back in the capital for the first time since his 2023/24 departure, did not hold back when asked about the heated exchanges between the two benches. The Portuguese tactician’s decision to celebrate or gesture near the Alger dugout was, in Mokwena’s eyes, a deliberate act of disrespect.

Did Cardoso celebrate infront of them? Pulling a Jose Maurihno😂😂 pic.twitter.com/vABW7XNf1z

— Sir Nungu (@NunguSompisi) February 14, 2026

Rulani Mokwena addresses Cardoso’s bench antics

“I don’t want to talk about things off the pitch, because if Rulani walks across the opposition’s technical area, I know how many people would make a hullabaloo of that situation,” Mokwena remarked, referencing the intense scrutiny he often faces in South African football.

“The laws of the game prohibit any technical member to leave his technical area, go past the fourth official and move across the technical area of the other team.”

Rulani Mokwena argued that the incident wasn’t just a matter of poor etiquette, but a breach of global footballing regulations.

“If that is not a clear sign of not only disrespecting the opposition, it’s a clear violation of not even CAF rules but FIFA rules,” he added. “This has nothing to do with me… it’s a reflection on the person who left his own area. You have to find the reasons why that person did that and provoked, because it’s a clear provocation.”

Despite the “handbags” on the sideline, Mokwena was adamant that his own conduct remained professional throughout the 90 minutes. “You cannot say Rulani was misbehaving, it’s impossible,” he insisted.

The End of the Road

The defeat marks a bitter exit for the Algerian giants, who failed to capitalise on their domestic form to make a dent in the knockout stages. While Sundowns celebrate a second-place finish in Group C and a ticket to the final eight, Rulani Mokwena heads back to Algiers with a domestic double in his sights—but clearly still feeling the sting of the “provocation” at his former home.