Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Tlhopie Motsepe has opened up about why he kept on having a belief in Miguel Cardoso during difficult times.
The Portuguese tactician delivered the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, a trophy that had been eluding the club for a decade since they last won it in 2016.
However, earlier this season, there was a time when Cardoso was heavily linked with an exit because the club was not doing well, particularly in domestic competitions.
Sundowns lost all domestic silverware, only winning the continental trophy as they downed AS FAR Rabat 2-1 on aggregate in the final.
Motsepe says he continued to believe in Cardoso because he saw how the team responded to him during difficult times, how he tried to keep everyone together, and how positive the group remained, pulling together despite the intense pressure and calls for the coach to be sacked.
“I’m not sure if vindication is the feeling that I have, but I feel very, very proud of the coach and of that group,” said Cardoso.
“That belief that I had and that conviction was because of the group. It was because I saw the way that the group responded to the coach in the tough times.
“And I saw the way the group pulled each other together in the tough times. That gave me a lot of confidence. At the same time, the things that we spoke about in the interview because he came to the football club.
“The ambition and the vision that he had and how he wanted to instil his tactics and philosophy. It was very interesting and exciting for me because he spoke a lot about emotions and the individuals.
“Where we were before the coach came, we were a talented squad, absolutely. I think what happened is there was just something that needed to click within the group.
“And credit must go to the group and the technical team for finding that ability to help us click. But I also think there was tough times, there were circumstances that demanded the group to either sink or swim.
“And how they reacted gave me a lot of confidence when times were tough to believe in the project in the coach and the technical director as well was also there with us, Flemming Berg, supporting the coach.
“We are very proud of where we are now, but it wasn’t because of the decision of the chairman. There was a group belief, there was a group support. We’re just grateful that now we can stand here as a group and be proud and support the coach together.”
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