Mamelodi Sundowns News Today: Concerns over big spending

Latest Mamelodi Sundowns, including coach Miguel Cardoso not blaming CAF Champions League exit on key absences and the club lauded for raising the bar financially.

Latest Mamelodi Sundowns News

Sundowns now difficult to compete with?

Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns player in action during MTN 8 Cup final — Image: Mamelodi Sundowns

Former Mamelodi Sundowns defender Johannes Mudau says the club has set the bar so high for their Premier Soccer League rivals so much so that they are now forced to spend big.

Sundowns’ deep pockets enables them to get any player they want and Mudau feels Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates are struggling to compete which gives the Brazilians an edge in the transfer market.

“I think Sundowns they’ve set a trend where they get anyone they want, at any price, and it becomes difficult for the other teams because they don’t have bigger pockets like Sundowns,” Mudau told KickOff.

Mamelodi Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners. — Iqraam Rayners. Image: Imago

“This makes things not easy for the boys to get a chance to leave their current clubs and go play somewhere bigger. Sundowns has raised the bar pertaining the movement of players.

“What I’ve realised is that, for Sundowns to dominate the league, any good player they take him and put him on the bench. They can play two, three games and end up not playing at all.

“How many first team players are there at Sundowns at the moment? When I was there, they had 77 who can start at any day in any team in the PSL. It frustrates.”

Cardoso not blaming absence of big hitters

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has refused to blame their early CAF Champions League exit on the absence of some of his experienced stars.

Sundowns were knocked out of the competition at the preliminary round, the first time since 2015, following a 1-1 draw with Angolan side Wiliete SC, who went to the group stages on the away goals rule.

Cardoso did not have Teboho Mokoena, Khuliso Mudau, Grant Kekana and Keanu Cupido during the clash as they are nursing injuries but he does not believe that had a bearing on the game.

Thabang Matuludi of Mamelodi Sundowns. Image: Mamelodi Sundowns

“Regarding what we miss or what we don’t miss, there are many things we miss. If you see this team and compare it to the one that finished the Champions League last year, one has nothing to do with the other, but that is not an excuse at all,” said Cardoso.

“The team that played today should have won the match. We could be stronger, we will be stronger with those players, of course we would be stronger, because it will give us more viability, to allow us to choose other options.”