Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has explained why the club didn’t go into the market before the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Sundowns were strongly linked with a move with Bafana Bafana and Stellenbosch left-back Fawaaz Basadien but the club, as confirmed last month by Chairman Thlopie Motsepe, opted not to sign any players ahead of the global event.
While the likes of Al Ahly and Wydad Athletic Club exercised the early window opening for Club World Cup participants, allowed by the world football governing body, Cardoso felt the situations was not similar between the clubs, and Masandawana.
“We didn’t have a lot of time to train, for example, let’s think about African teams; Wydad, they got, they didn’t play Champions League and had their championship decided pretty soon, even changed the coach,” he said.
“So, there was a moment of rebuilding the team and justifying to bring in new players to start the new process, Ahly, the same situation with new coach, new moments, new training – so why not, if there’s a new style of philosophy, why not bring in new players?
“The question [of not signing players?], we played the Champions League final and we had to fight until the last second of the last match – and after that we never had much time to train, so bringing in new players, or pieces that could fit the puzzle directly, or having to move the puzzle to fit the piece? It made no sense.”
Sundowns open their campaign today against K-League champions Ulsan HD at the Inter and Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, and Cardoso suggested retaining the squad from this season, is part of the reward for their efforts over a gruelling campaign – but new arrivals can be expected before the 2025/26 season.
“That is what happened, so we decided to keep the squad, it’s a reality that we totally support and able to give us the condition we want to fight for the best result of the competition but at the same time also rewarding the players for what they did throughout the season,” he continued.
“We were together and fought together until the end in the Champions League, if we fought together to watch the South African championship, why not bring the team all together to fight for something more.
“The team of next season will be based on the players who are in the squad already, so we need to continue to develop the younger ones and work with the ones we have, then let’s see what the market has, what we can bring to reinforce, there’s always reinforcements but let’s think about that in the future.”
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