‘There are clearly people who want to hurt Sundowns and people who are in charge of Sundowns,’ he said.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso believes there are external forces attempting to destabilise the club, following widespread reports suggesting former coach Pitso Mosimane could replace him ahead of the resumption of the Betway Premiership.
Mosimane speculation cools
The speculation has since cooled, with Mosimane still locked in a legal dispute with Sundowns over commission fees paid to MT Sports, the agency representing him which is headed by Moira Tlhagale.
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Cardoso began the new year on a positive note with a 2-0 victory over ORBIT College at Loftus Versfeld on Monday night and did not waste time addressing the rumours when questioned about his future at the reigning champions.
“There are clearly people who want to hurt Sundowns and people who are in charge of Sundowns, the coaches and everyone,” he said.
“They will remain frustrated because we’re very strong. Regarding my future, don’t worry about my future because it doesn’t depend on football.
“My professional life depends on football and that’s completely different. My future depends on many other things than football, it depends on music more than on football, it depends on nature and cycling more than on football.”
The Portuguese coach insisted he remains unfazed by the outside noise and reiterated his commitment to the club. “I’m a coach at a big team and I’m not too big to be criticised but the question is how much importance I will give it,” Cardoso added.
“Believe me, I will not give it too much importance because my thoughts are with my assistant coaches, sporting director, management, chairman and my players.”
Following his passionate response to criticism over his future, Cardoso urged supporters to turn out in numbers for Friday night’s CAF Champions League clash against Al-Hilal.
Cardoso – ‘It’s a tough match’
“I already have a word to our fans regarding the need for their support for the math on Friday night,” he concluded.
“It’s a tough match we have ahead in the Champions League and I hope people arrive in numbers to have a full stadium and sing our songs and to push us forward.
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“Masandawana family must truly stick together and support the work that is being done at the club. Don’t look at success as a short-term thing, look at success as medium to long-term and stick together.”