Football expert tells Motsepe and Flemming Berg not to consider firing Miguel Cardoso after Pyramids defeat - 'He can bring the Caf Champions League trophy”

Questions surrounding Miguel Cardoso have intensified in recent weeks, particularly following Mamelodi Sundowns’ Caf Champions League second leg defeat to Pyramids — a loss that denied the club a golden chance to clinch a second continental crown and cap off a dominant season.

Adding to the scrutiny is Cardoso’s handling of senior players, with the limited game time afforded to captain Themba Zwane becoming a major talking point among fans and pundits alike.

Addressing the growing concerns, 2016 Caf Champions League winner and former club captain Hlompho Kekana, who is a football analyst on SABC Sport, has publicly voiced his support.

"Personally I think he did very well since he's come to Mamelodi Sundowns, considering that he got the team seven games into the league already," said Kekana as quoted by Sabc Sport. 

"It's not easy to come into South African football and try to get into a system, and understand how players play – you know, in South Africa we play with raw talent, so you need to understand that and try to get into them buying your philosophy.

"But when I look at the overall performance of this year already, I feel like he has done enough to even put the team in the Champions League final – which, for me, I think they deserved to win that final, but that's how football goes," he added.

"The teams you normally feel like you can beat, you might not beat, but I do support the coach. I still believe he can bring the Champions League [trophy] here to Sundowns."

Kekana went on to weigh in on the concerns surrounding Themba Zwane’s limited game time under Cardoso, “"To be honest, Shika [Zwane] is like any player in the Mamelodi Sundowns team, a coach would love to have a player like him fit, and I'm sure with the group selected to go to the USA, he'll want to use everybody in those group matches.

"Group matches, you'll want to try and win but at the same time, as players, you want to learn and see what you can do, especially against those international teams.

"So I'm sure Themba will love to have a run, and would love to take the field as the captain of the team, but it's only Themba, of course, there are other players who didn't play [in the Champions League final]. Bathusi Aubaas, I think, has done so well this season and I think he will want to have a run in the Club World Cup, so yeah, it's a space where everybody wants to take part,” he concluded.

Despite the disappointment in the CAF Champions League, Cardoso still guided the team to another Premier Soccer League triumph. 

The squad is now in the United States for the eagerly awaited Fifa Club World Cup, where the Portuguese tactician will be aiming to take Sundowns deep into the tournament.

The Brazilians are just days away from kicking off their Club World Cup journey, with their opening match set for Wednesday, 18 June against Ulsan. 

They’ll then take on Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, 21 June, before wrapping up the group stage with a clash against Fluminense on Wednesday, 25 June.