Thlopie Motsepe and Miguel Cardoso during the Mamelodi Sundowns team arrival at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Monday.
Image: BackpagePix
Mamelodi Sundowns are preparing for crucial discussions surrounding the futures of both coach Miguel Cardoso and captain Themba Zwane following the club’s long-awaited return to the summit of African football.
The triumph instantly strengthened Cardoso’s position after a turbulent few months in charge in which he watched Orlando Pirates collected a domestic treble.
The Portuguese coach arrived at Chloorkop in December 2024 to replace Manqoba Mngqithi and immediately faced enormous pressure to restore continental success.
While he ultimately delivered the trophy Sundowns craved most, sections of supporters remained frustrated after the club surrendered the Betway Premiership title to Orlando Pirates and finished the season without a domestic trophy.
Club chairman Thlopie Motsepe confirmed discussions regarding Cardoso’s future will now take place over the coming weeks.
“We will obviously go into the next few months now and have discussions,” said Motsepe.
“We are in a more positive position than when we had discussions before the coach joined the club.”
Interestingly, Motsepe also revealed the mood among supporters appears to have shifted dramatically following the continental triumph.
“The coach will not know this but I arrived here at the airport about 40 minutes before the team arrived and I spent some time with the supporters,” he explained.
“Almost all of them asked where the coach was. Some even demanded that the coach must stay.”
Cardoso’s biggest achievement may ultimately lie in restoring Sundowns’ continental authority after years of frustration in Africa.
“When we brought the coach to the club, there was an objective we wanted to achieve,” Motsepe added.
“We wanted to make sure the team could reach another level and achieve something special, and we have done that.”
Meanwhile, uncertainty also surrounds the future of club icon Zwane.
The 36-year-old has endured difficult recent seasons due to injuries but remains one of the most influential figures in Sundowns history.
Although his current contract only runs for another year, Zwane admitted he still hopes to finish his career at the club.
“To be honest, I don’t clearly know what my future is and I don’t want to lie,” said Zwane.
“Obviously my wish is to stay on and finish my career at Mamelodi Sundowns.”
After conquering Africa once again, Sundowns now face another important challenge — deciding how the next chapter of this successful era will look.
For Zwane, the next month could be one of huge significance with the potential of jetting off to Mexico with Bafanna Bafana for the World Cup.