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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Appointed in December 2024, at the expense of long-time Mamelodi Sundowns servant </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-12-11-sundowns-coaching-shuffle-ushers-in-new-era-with-miguel-cardoso-as-mngqithi-robinson-depart/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manqoba Mnqgithi</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Miguel Cardoso knew that at the Pretoria side demands would always be sky high. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This includes the team maintaining its iron grip on the South African Premiership, which they have won for seven successive seasons and are favourites to win for an eighth time on the trot. Then there is the holy grail of African club soccer — the Caf Champions League. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It’s a story that’s been told numerous times over the past few seasons — how, despite the hefty investment made by the Mostepe family since they took full control of the club in 2004, continental success has been elusive for the Brazilians. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Millions have been spent, but Sundowns’ sole success in Africa’s premier club competition came in 2016. Since then, they have not even reached a final, which is something the Brazilians are hoping to rectify from this season. </span>\r\n<h4><b>Change the narrative</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Every season we always fall short in the semis or quarterfinals. These games are not easy. We fight every season to bring that second star, but the Champions League is a very difficult competition,” said Sundowns defender Aubrey Modiba before his team’s quarterfinal tussle with Tunisian giants Espérance. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Right now we’ve got a good squad, a good team that is ready to fight and a technical team that is helping us. So, hopefully this season we can go all the way. We really want to participate in finals, because when you participate in finals you have a chance of winning the competition,” Modiba said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, over the past five seasons Sundowns have bowed out of the Champions League in either the quarterfinals or semifinals. Now the South African side is in the last eight again, and in front of them stands a formidable foe whom they faced in last season’s semifinals. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coincidentally, when</span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Espérance knocked out Sundowns in the semis last season, Cardoso was the coach of the four-time African champions. Now the Portuguese tactician — who holds a Master’s degree in Sports Science — must mastermind victory over his former side as he aims to end Sundowns’ barren run in Africa.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2656609\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TL_2370567.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1856\" height=\"1127\" /> <em>Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2656606\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TL_2374219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1824\" height=\"1113\" /> <em>Pirates coach Jose Riveiro. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1081246\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/TL_1752133.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3000\" height=\"1718\" /> <em>Mamelodi Sundowns after beating Cape Town City FC at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on 5 June 2021 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Samuel Shivambu / BackpagePix / Gallo Images)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We want to bring something more for this club. We know that everything has been done in order for us to have conditions to succeed in this competition, to go as far as possible. That’s the spirit that we have. That’s the mindset we have. We will fight until the last minute,” Cardoso said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I feel every day that these players have a lot of will to do well in the Champions League. They want to leave their mark. We already have a group of players who are not young. They are not old, but they are not young. We will try to be loyal to that wish, to ourselves and to the quality we have,” the Portuguese mentor stated. </span>\r\n<h4><b>Proceed with caution</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nevertheless, Cardoso said it was important to be realistic in the midst of their ambition to conquer Africa once again. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It’s important that people understand that the Champions League is a competition that involves the best clubs on a continent, in this case Africa. It makes the best teams compete together. In the end, there will be two teams playing in the final, and only one winning,” Cardoso told journalists. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I don’t feel that the teams that don’t win the Champions League are teams that fail. Last year we didn’t win the Champions League when I was coaching Espérance, but I didn’t feel that I failed, or the team failed,” the coach said. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of this assertion, Cardoso knows very well how crucial winning the Champions League will be to his overall Sundowns legacy. </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-07-24-its-humbling-says-pitso-mosimane-after-university-of-johannesburg-honorary-doctorate-award/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pitso Mosimane’s legacy</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at Chloorkop is unshakeable because he delivered this coveted trophy. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rulani Mokwena had Sundowns playing some of the best soccer South Africa had seen in years during his two years as head coach. Despite this, he was constantly under pressure due to not delivering African gold, and was eventually fired at the end of last season. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cardoso will be under similar scrutiny, with his only saving grace being the fact that he joined Sundowns when the season had already started and thus has not had enough time to truly impose his philosophy on the team. </span>\r\n<h4><b>Ambitious Bucs</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A coach who is on the opposite end of the spectrum to Cardoso in this regard is Orlando Pirates’ Jose Riveiro. The Spaniard is into his third season with the Buccaneers and has turned the Soweto side into a trophy-winning machine, with the Sea Robbers boasting five domestic </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">knockout trophies during his tenure. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Champions League would be a magnificent addition to this collection, especially because Pirates’ first and only African success was all the way back in 1995. The Sea Robbers tackle Algeria’s MC Alger in their two-legged quarterfinal fixture. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We are so excited to find ourselves in the last eight of the competition. We know it’s going to be a tough one, because of where we are in the Champions League. Every opponent is a strong one,” Riveiro said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It’s true that MC Alger is leading the championship (in Algeria). So that tells you about the potential of the team… We are here to enjoy this moment of the competition, while fully respecting the opponent. But we want to prove that we are capable of competing at this level. It’s going to be an interesting match,” the Spanish coach said. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Western Cape side Stellenbosch are representing South Africa in the quarterfinals of the second-tier Caf Confederation Cup. In their maiden African escapade, Stellies have done exceptionally well to reach the knockout phase. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For their troubles they were pitted against defending Confed Cup champions Zamalek (of Egypt), in what promises to be another action-packed two-legged clash. </span><b>DM</b>\r\n<h4><b>Champions League fixtures</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mamelodi Sundowns vs Espérance — 1 April (3pm)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MC Alger vs Orlando Pirates — 1 April (9pm)</span>\r\n<h4><b>Confed Cup fixture</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stellenbosch vs Zamalek — 2 April (3pm) </span>",
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"name": "Mamelodi Sundowns winners of the DStv Premiership match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City FC at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on June 05, 2021 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix/Gallo Images)",
"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Appointed in December 2024, at the expense of long-time Mamelodi Sundowns servant </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-12-11-sundowns-coaching-shuffle-ushers-in-new-era-with-miguel-cardoso-as-mngqithi-robinson-depart/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manqoba Mnqgithi</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Miguel Cardoso knew that at the Pretoria side demands would always be sky high. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This includes the team maintaining its iron grip on the South African Premiership, which they have won for seven successive seasons and are favourites to win for an eighth time on the trot. Then there is the holy grail of African club soccer — the Caf Champions League. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It’s a story that’s been told numerous times over the past few seasons — how, despite the hefty investment made by the Mostepe family since they took full control of the club in 2004, continental success has been elusive for the Brazilians. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Millions have been spent, but Sundowns’ sole success in Africa’s premier club competition came in 2016. Since then, they have not even reached a final, which is something the Brazilians are hoping to rectify from this season. </span>\r\n<h4><b>Change the narrative</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Every season we always fall short in the semis or quarterfinals. These games are not easy. We fight every season to bring that second star, but the Champions League is a very difficult competition,” said Sundowns defender Aubrey Modiba before his team’s quarterfinal tussle with Tunisian giants Espérance. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Right now we’ve got a good squad, a good team that is ready to fight and a technical team that is helping us. So, hopefully this season we can go all the way. We really want to participate in finals, because when you participate in finals you have a chance of winning the competition,” Modiba said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, over the past five seasons Sundowns have bowed out of the Champions League in either the quarterfinals or semifinals. Now the South African side is in the last eight again, and in front of them stands a formidable foe whom they faced in last season’s semifinals. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coincidentally, when</span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Espérance knocked out Sundowns in the semis last season, Cardoso was the coach of the four-time African champions. Now the Portuguese tactician — who holds a Master’s degree in Sports Science — must mastermind victory over his former side as he aims to end Sundowns’ barren run in Africa.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2656609\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1856\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2656609\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TL_2370567.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1856\" height=\"1127\" /> <em>Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2656606\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1824\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2656606\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TL_2374219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1824\" height=\"1113\" /> <em>Pirates coach Jose Riveiro. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1081246\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"3000\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1081246\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/TL_1752133.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3000\" height=\"1718\" /> <em>Mamelodi Sundowns after beating Cape Town City FC at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on 5 June 2021 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Samuel Shivambu / BackpagePix / Gallo Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We want to bring something more for this club. We know that everything has been done in order for us to have conditions to succeed in this competition, to go as far as possible. That’s the spirit that we have. That’s the mindset we have. We will fight until the last minute,” Cardoso said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I feel every day that these players have a lot of will to do well in the Champions League. They want to leave their mark. We already have a group of players who are not young. They are not old, but they are not young. We will try to be loyal to that wish, to ourselves and to the quality we have,” the Portuguese mentor stated. </span>\r\n<h4><b>Proceed with caution</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nevertheless, Cardoso said it was important to be realistic in the midst of their ambition to conquer Africa once again. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It’s important that people understand that the Champions League is a competition that involves the best clubs on a continent, in this case Africa. It makes the best teams compete together. In the end, there will be two teams playing in the final, and only one winning,” Cardoso told journalists. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I don’t feel that the teams that don’t win the Champions League are teams that fail. Last year we didn’t win the Champions League when I was coaching Espérance, but I didn’t feel that I failed, or the team failed,” the coach said. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of this assertion, Cardoso knows very well how crucial winning the Champions League will be to his overall Sundowns legacy. </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-07-24-its-humbling-says-pitso-mosimane-after-university-of-johannesburg-honorary-doctorate-award/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pitso Mosimane’s legacy</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at Chloorkop is unshakeable because he delivered this coveted trophy. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rulani Mokwena had Sundowns playing some of the best soccer South Africa had seen in years during his two years as head coach. Despite this, he was constantly under pressure due to not delivering African gold, and was eventually fired at the end of last season. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cardoso will be under similar scrutiny, with his only saving grace being the fact that he joined Sundowns when the season had already started and thus has not had enough time to truly impose his philosophy on the team. </span>\r\n<h4><b>Ambitious Bucs</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A coach who is on the opposite end of the spectrum to Cardoso in this regard is Orlando Pirates’ Jose Riveiro. The Spaniard is into his third season with the Buccaneers and has turned the Soweto side into a trophy-winning machine, with the Sea Robbers boasting five domestic </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">knockout trophies during his tenure. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Champions League would be a magnificent addition to this collection, especially because Pirates’ first and only African success was all the way back in 1995. The Sea Robbers tackle Algeria’s MC Alger in their two-legged quarterfinal fixture. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We are so excited to find ourselves in the last eight of the competition. We know it’s going to be a tough one, because of where we are in the Champions League. Every opponent is a strong one,” Riveiro said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It’s true that MC Alger is leading the championship (in Algeria). So that tells you about the potential of the team… We are here to enjoy this moment of the competition, while fully respecting the opponent. But we want to prove that we are capable of competing at this level. It’s going to be an interesting match,” the Spanish coach said. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Western Cape side Stellenbosch are representing South Africa in the quarterfinals of the second-tier Caf Confederation Cup. 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"summary": "He may have boarded the Sundowns bus while it was already moving in the 2024/25 season, but there are high expectations for head coach Miguel Cardoso. ",
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Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)
Pirates coach Jose Riveiro. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)
Mamelodi Sundowns after beating Cape Town City FC at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on 5 June 2021 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Samuel Shivambu / BackpagePix / Gallo Images)