Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has clarified that the decision to field Themba Zwane in their opening FIFA Club World Cup match against Ulsan was not a result of pressure from fans or the club.
The inclusion of the 35-year-old playmaker in the starting line-up came as a surprise to many, especially after Sundowns secured a crucial 1-0 victory over the K-League champions, propelling them to the top of Group F, ahead of Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense who drew earlier.
Cardoso had faced significant criticism from the media and former players for not utilising the influential Zwane during their two-legged CAF Champions League final loss to Pyramids FC.
It was clear that Sundowns' midfield missed the creativity of the veteran Bafana Bafana star to dismantle Pyramids.
However, Cardoso remained defiant, asserting that his decision to start Zwane against Ulsan was not influenced by external force or public pressure, but rather a tactical choice based on the match's specific demands.
’IT’S IMPORTANT TO GIVE HIM OPPORTUNITIES’
“Themba, there’s no ghosts from the past at all, or on me, the pressures from inside the club, with the board, with my players, you have pressure when you settle in career of coaching like me,” he said after the game.
“What happens is that Themba made a helluva two weeks 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.
“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 to put him in, even having the risk to let people think I’m putting in because of pressure.
“No it’s not, I made [the decision] consciously, without any kind of force, because I have such respect for my players that they know I don’t joke with them, we play fair, we trust and we have a lot of values in our locker room that go beyond the question that was raised in the press.
“We have strong values, we trust each other, I trust my administration and they trust me and we will continue moving forward until the day life happens.”
