Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso alleges his team is being intentionally penalized by referees. He presented his phone, showing an image he claims proves Kaizer Chiefs’ second goal, scored by Ashley du Preez, was offside.

Cardoso expressed astonishment at the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) lack of VAR, stating that if it were available, the incident would have been reviewed and ruled offside.

Late in the Nedbank Cup semi-final match at Loftus Stadium on Sunday, Chiefs recycled a free kick in Sundowns’ half.

Du Preez, a substitute for Wandile Duba, who had opened the scoring, appeared to be offside when he received George Matlou’s cross and finished the play, securing Chiefs’ place in the Nedbank Cup final for the first time since the 2018/19 season.

Chiefs will now face their rivals, Orlando Pirates, in the Soweto Derby for the Ke Yona Cup final on 10 May at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

“I think the goal was offside,” Cardoso stated after the match.

“If you didn’t see, go back and see the image because it is clear, clear, clear. When we work in a country that doesn’t have VAR, that’s what happens. 

“Just go back, take the image, you have the images, get the image from TV.  

“As a team that loses in this competition and out of the mistake from the referee, I think we are being penalized for this season regarding the referee’s mistake. 

“I remember the goals that we scored in the game that we didn’t win (against Golden Arrows), you remember that game I spoke about, Peter Shalulile scored more than one goal and now we are out of the competition, five or four minutes from the end of the game in the goal that is offside.”  

While Sundowns, who lost last year’s final to Pirates, are now out of the Nedbank Cup, they face Al Ahly next weekend in the first leg of the CAF Champions League semi-final at Loftus Stadium. The second leg will take place on 25 April in Cairo.

Cardoso, who lost the Champions League final to Al Ahly while managing ES Esperance last season, emphasized the need to recover and refocus, as their season is not yet over.

“We need to stand up, we win together, we lose together,” he said. 

“We should have done more. I have nothing to say about the team of Chiefs, they honestly fought, they made a game, congratulations to them and to coach [Nasreddine Nabi]. We just regret that we could not do more. But we are out of the competition and a long story to be written. But there was no time to write the last chapter of this book; it is what it is.”