Miguel Cardoso claims 'people want to hurt Mamelodi Sundowns' amid Pitso Mosimane return talk

Mamelodi Sundowns have, arguably, the best quality squad in the Premier Soccer League thanks to their financial muscle.

However, things have not been seamless for the experienced tactician, Miguel Cardoso, especially in domestic competitions.

The Brazilians failed to deliver MTN8, where eventual champions Orlando Pirates eliminated them in the semi-final stage.

It got worse in the Carling Knockout, where an average Marumo Gallants team defeated them in the initial stage, which was an unanticipated result.

In the PSL race, before the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) break, Sundowns struggled to match the Buccaneers, who ended up topping the table with 28 points from 12 games, one less than the defending champions, who had 26 points.

It explains why Pitso Mosimane has been heavily linked with a return to the club.

On Monday night, Sundowns beat Orbit College FC 2-0 to go top of the table with 29 points from 14 outings, two games more than Pirates. Cardoso claimed he is not aware of a potential dismissal since he has effectively done his job.

“The problem is nowadays, people discuss football on the phone, and they speak about things they have absolutely no idea of,” he told the media.

“That gives a lot of echo to things that don’t even exist, and that is a question, people are discussing things that they would like to happen.

“Having a phone, a blog, and some followers give echo to people who don’t know what they are speaking about," Cardoso added.

"Look, Sundowns is a club that’s ruled from the inside to the outside, not the other way around.

“There’s a strong leadership, strong sports direction, a strong coach, and a strong locker room. The doors of Chloorkop are so strong that those things like that don’t enter; we are united.

“We are working hard to please our fans. And we need them not to let themselves be poisoned by the outside, keep supporting us," he continued.

The 53-year-old has further explained why he expects criticism in his line of work, before insisting he is focused on ensuring Sundowns deliver. 

“There are people that want to hurt Sundowns, there are clearly people that want to hurt people in charge of Sundowns – coaches, players, and everything,” Cardoso claimed.

“But they will be frustrated because we are strong, very, very strong. Regarding my future, don’t worry about it because it doesn’t depend on football.

“It’s just my professional life that depends on football. It’s completely different, my future depends on music, nature, and cycling rather than on football," he continued.

“When we cycled with my brother, he told me, ‘Don’t throw rocks at every dog that barks at you, you won’t arrive at your destination’. 

“I’m coaching a big team, I’ll be criticised every day. The question is how much importance I’ll give to that; I’ll not give any importance to it. I’ll be here until the club decides [otherwise], until then, I’ll be committed, excited and motivate my players to do their best. I’m already too old to worry about things that are just noise," the tactician concluded.

In the ongoing January transfer window, the club have added Monnapule Saleng (Orlando Pirates), Khulumani Ndamane (TS Galaxy), and Brayan Leon ( Independiente Medellin) to their already impressive squad.

Leon, as a matter of fact, was on target as Sundowns beat the Mswenko Boys in their first game of the year.

Cardoso hopes to sustain the team's position on top of the table and go all the way to win it for the ninth consecutive season.

Sundowns are also expected to challenge for the Nedbank Cup and CAF Champions League as well.