“I Will Never Risk Them” — Cardoso Issues Stance On Injured Sundowns Trio for MTN8 Final
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says the club will wait until the last minute before making a final decision on the fitness of Aubrey Modiba, Bathusi Aubaas, and Teboho Mokoena, insisting he will not risk playing anyone who is not 100 percent fit in Saturday’s MTN8 final against Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The trio picked up injuries while on international duty with Bafana Bafana during the FIFA international break. Modiba and Mokoena featured in South Africa’s opening Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea last weekend but were left out of the squad for the subsequent 5-0 victory over Eritrea in Egypt.
Meanwhile, Aubaas was handed a start in midfield against Eritrea by national team head coach Hugo Broos, but his outing lasted just 16 minutes before an injury forced him off for Brooklyn Poggenpoel. All three players were rested when Bafana Bafana wrapped up a flawless international window with a friendly victory over Egypt on Sunday.
After returning to South Africa on Monday, the players underwent preliminary medical assessments on Tuesday. Cardoso provided a cautious injury update ahead of Saturday’s showpiece in Durban.
“As I said from the beginning, I support the national team, the national coach, and the national players when they are on duty,” Cardoso said.
“You will never hear me commenting on the national team coach. He speaks for his platform, and I speak for mine, so there is never room for misinterpretation.
“What I want you to understand is that I will never play a player unless he is 100 percent fit. On Tuesday, our medical team conducted an initial evaluation of the players.
“On Wednesday, they will have a better opportunity to assess them thoroughly. I believe these decisions will go down to the wire, but as you can appreciate, we cannot take risks—especially with muscle injuries like those affecting Aubrey and Aubaas.
“We cannot risk putting players on the pitch if they are not ready. Of course, there are positive signs that their recovery is progressing well, and these are not major injuries. Teboho is also making good progress, so let’s see.
“We will wait for the final medical reports because we have to think not only about this single match, but also about the broader impact on our entire season. I have to stand firm in making the right decision for the long term.”
