‘It’s important to clarify that at Sundowns, it’s not the coach that chooses the players. I don’t choose players that come to the team,’ said Cardoso.
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has emphasised that the acquisition of Fawaaz Basadien was not solely his decision, but rather a collaborative one involving the club’s hierarchy.
Sundowns’ quiet window
The Brazilians have had a quiet transfer window so far, with Basadien’s arrival from Stellenbosch FC, their only signing following the team’s involvement in the recent FIFA Club World Cup.
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Basadien made his debut off the bench in the 78th minute of Sundowns’ 4-0 thumping of Richards Bay in the MTN8 quarter-final at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday.
“It’s important to clarify that at Sundowns, it’s not the coach that chooses the players. I don’t choose players that come to the team,” said Cardoso.
“They are chosen by the coach, sporting director, board, president and chairman. That’s how players come to the club, and it’s not up to me to say I want this player, and if they don’t bring them, I’m not happy. I don’t do that because of the way we work. We look at profiles and we try to select the best profiles.
“Then there’s the business, and I have an opinion that I should give technically, in accordance with how we bring players in. If it wasn’t like that, it would probably be much quicker, and we shouldn’t be wasting resources by bringing in players we really don’t want. So we’re working hard to reinforce the team.”
Sundowns are expected to bring in new faces and also let go of few players to accede to the coach’s demands for working with a less bloated squad. Cardoso further explained why he would like to whittle down his squad for the 2025-26 season with reports of certain players being unsettled at the club and looking for greener pastures.
“We should understand that in South Africa, the squad we have will never be the same as in Europe. In Portugal, it’s usually 22 players plus three to four goalkeepers, and then you have a second team where you can pick players if you need them,” he said.
‘A chance to play’
“But we don’t play every three to four days. The squads here are bigger. The team will definitely be smaller than last year, but not as small as, for example, in Portugal. We need to have enough competition in case we have injuries and suspensions.
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“We can’t have players that are permanently not used and their motivation drops because they are on the side. That’s the spirit we don’t want inside the club. We want them to feel that they have a chance to play regularly.”