MAHLATSE MPHAHLELE | Champions League final defeat has left Sundowns at a crossroads

Mamelodi Sundowns are at a crossroads.

Honchos at Chloorkop are confronted with a tricky situation and bold decisions must be taken for the sake of the long-term future of the club and their lofty ambitions of dominating continental football. 

Their disappointing Champions League final defeat to Egyptian side Pyramids FC, succumbing 3-1 on aggregate after a 2-1 defeat in the second leg in Cairo on Sunday, has prompted heated discussions among their supporters about where to from here. 

Brazilians coach Miguel Cardoso and his sporting director Flemming Berg, whose approval ratings have plummeted to an all-time low, are going to find it difficult without the full backing of supporters. It is not known if Cardoso and Berg still enjoy the backing of the entire dressing room and if they don’t, it is going to be a challenge for them to get the best out of the players. 

The other dicey situation that needs utmost care, is how Downs are going to handle inspirational captain Themba Zwane, who the club's supporters feel can still make a meaningful contribution.

Over the two legs of the final, Cardoso did not use Zwane despite loud calls from fans and football pundits for the best creative Sundowns and Bafana Bafana star of the last decade to be introduced at least from the bench. Most believed Zwane could have added value with his experience and big-match temperament in high-stakes matches. 

With Zwane unable to get a run, Cardoso took a tactical gamble of handing a debut to attacker Lebo Mothiba in Cairo. Supporters were left baffled how the striker — signed on a free transfer having been released from Strasbourg in France and having not played competitively since 2023 — was fielded ahead of the captain. 

The other elephant in the room is Berg, who arrived at the club towards the end of the season when Sundowns won the domestic treble in 2021-22. They have since played in five finals, winning only in the African Football League in 2023. 

The other issue that must be on the agenda for the top brass during their off-season deliberations and planning is the ageing squad. Most of those senior players are going to be stretched to the limit in the coming months. They will forgo their off-season play in the Fifa Club World Cup in the US this month and next and have the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in December and January to think of too, as they chase a ninth successive Betway Premiership title, domestic cups and aim to go one better in the 2025-26 Champions League. 

Unlike teams like Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch FC, it does not look like there is a clear plan at Chloorkop to show faith in young players who will take the club forward. Malibongwe Khoza is the only young player who got a decent playtime this season while the likes of attackers Kutlwano Letlhaku and Siyabonga Mabena saw limited action. 

It must be said Mabena's chances were possibly scuppered by the injury he sustained early in 2023-24, while Letlhaku, who was a star among the South Africans who won the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations last month, has been mostly idle. 

Crucial performers who are 30 and above include Ronwen Williams (33), Denis Onyango (40), Mothobi Mvala (30), Mosa Lebusa (32), Grant Kekana (32), Divine Lunga (30), Khuliso Mudau (30), Thapelo Morena (31), Themba Zwane (35), Bathusi Aubaas (30) and Peter Shalulile (31). 

Among players below 30 are Malibongwe Khoza (21), Keanu Cupido (27), Aubrey Modiba (29), Terrence Mashego (28), Kegan Johannes (24), Zuko Mdunyelwa (25), Teboho Mokoena (28), Marcelo Allende (26), Jayden Adams (24), Tashreeq Matthews (24), Lucas Ribeiro (26), Arthur Sales (22).

Another important aspect that possibly needs a rethink is heavy investment in South American players who have been largely found wanting in the Champions League. Over the past few seasons, Downs' Latin American contingent have mostly struggled to impose themselves through the tough continental terrains. 

Maybe it’s time Sundowns consider scouting for talent in Africa, especially in West Africa, to add more steel in crucial positions to be more competitive on the continent. 

Pyramids showed that this move works as they relied heavily on Blati Touré of Burkina Faso in central defence and on Democratic Republic of the Congo striker Fiston Mayele. 

It is revealing how high the expectations Sundowns supporters have from the club that this Champions League inquest is happening a few weeks since they won their eighth successive league championship. 

The other thing that has dominated discussions among Sundowns fans this season is the “unattractive” football they have played since Cardoso arrived, which is a deviation from what the club is known for. 

It was a season that started with hope of continental domination, but ended with a whimper in Cairo with defeat to Pyramids after they drew at home and lost away. 

Of the five competitions they started, Sundowns won only the league and there was disappointment in the MTN8, Carling Knockout, Nedbank Cup and Champions League. 

The most disappointing defeat was against Pyramids because that is the trophy Sundowns and their fans crave the most. 

Their domestic and continental season is finished, but they still have the Club World Cup to compete in, where they are drawn against Ulsan of South Korea, Fluminense FC of Brazil and Borussia Dortmund of Germany. It remains to be seen how Downs are going to fare at the newly expanded 32-team Club World Cup, but Cardoso will find himself in the firing line if they are dominated in the US. 

The coach, who took over from Manqoba Mngqithi in December and went on to win the league after 21 matches (18 wins, 1 loss and two losses), has not won over the fans because of his style of play. The loss to Pyramids has opened a can of worms with supporters asking questions about how an expensively assembled team has failed to win the Champions League. 

They had a chance to place that sought-after second star over the club’s badge but squandered it. 

It remains to be seen if Cardoso and Berg will survive if the club performs poorly during the Club World Cup, but the problem is that a precedent has been set because Mngqithi and Rulani Mokwena before him were let go for failures in finals. 

With that precedent, what is going to justify Miguel and Berg surviving the chop since they failed to deliver the elusive Champions League?