Cardoso slams PSL scheduling ahead of CAF game

“How is it possible that we will play on Tuesday after trying to change the date of this match,” he asked.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has again taken aim at the Premier Soccer League over the scheduling of their Betway Premiership clash against Orbit College on Tuesday, just three days before a crucial CAF Champions League quarter-final encounter with Stade Malien.

The Portuguese coach is also unhappy with playing at Olympia Park Stadium which is once again available again after undergoing renovations. College were forced to host their early-season matches at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto after Olympia Park was initially deemed non-compliant.

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Cardoso questioned why the league opted not to move the fixture despite Sundowns’ request for a change. He believes the match against the relegation-threatened side comes at an inconvenient time as the Brazilians prepare for one of the most important matches of their continental campaign.

“What I think is that South Africa needs to understand what it is that they want. I will give you an example, how is it possible that we will play on Tuesday after trying to change the date of this match,” he asked.

“The only thing that happened is that we are going to play on a pitch where the conditions are even worse and then two days later, we must play a quarterfinal of a Champions League match.

“This week, the league in France rescheduled games and it was not just PSG but the league said that you don’t play your matches this week because you have to be in a good condition to play Chelsea.”

While stopping short of naming specific teams, Cardoso suggested that some clubs appear to benefit from more favourable scheduling when participating in CAF inter-club competitions.

It is not the first time the Sundowns coach has voiced frustration over domestic scheduling. He raised similar concerns last season when the Tshwane giants advanced to the champions league final, where they eventually fell short against Pyramids FC.

“We saw for other teams already this season in the qualifying rounds where they had their matches rescheduled,” he added.

“Last season there were teams that were playing after we were already crowned champions. So, it’s like water is water for some and for some it’s wine and I really don’t understand it.”

With the premiership title race against Orlando Pirates delicately poised at the top of the table, Cardoso now faces a difficult decision over team selection for the two-hour trip to the North West Province.

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The last time he made wholesale changes as part of a rotation policy, Sundowns paid the price as they were knocked out of the Nedbank Cup by TS Galaxy.