Cardoso: I Sleep With Headaches, As I Cannot Please Everybody
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has opened up about the headaches of team selection, admitting that he cannot please anyone while juggling club priorities and players’ Bafana Bafana ambitions.
Sundowns are currently navigating a slightly demanding schedule, which is on both domestic and continental football. While fighting to maintain their number one position in the Betway Premiership, they are also looking to go all the way in the CAF Champions League.
Meanwhile, Hugo Broos has also announced his Bafana Bafana squad on Thursday, which will host Panama in the international friendly games later this month. Seven players from Sundowns have been called up and will have to go prepare with the squad after their continental duties against Stade Malien in Mali on Sunday.
Cardoso explained that his priority is the club, and while national team call-ups are important, he cannot make his team selections based on who might play for the national team.
“Obviously, when I have to prepare matches, I cannot think about who I have to play because this guy can go to the national team and this one cannot,” said Cardoso.
“I cannot do that because the person who pays my salary is my club, and the players are paid by the club. So we need, first of all, everybody to think about the club, and if the club does well, for sure, the national team players will increase the number of Bafana Bafana. And the level that we give and produce, prepares them better for the national team.”
“But it’s not easy because we understand that our potential players are called players and who are not, then when we make our choices, we don’t take our thoughts out of that place. But we need to be fair, and being fair is to try to work as hard as possible with the players, create the right mindset so that we can win games. Because if we win games, we’re closer to putting more players in the national team. It has always been like that, and if you play well.”
Cardoso believes that if his players perform well for the club, it will be a huge contribution to the national team.
“That’s our thoughts, help the players play against the best as possible, help the players to win as much as possible, and give headaches to coach Hugo. For sure, that’s our job. But it’s not comfortable for me to understand that sometimes there are players who, if they had more time they could probably have more chances. But if the players and I don’t do the job, they will also not be happy with us, and basically, that is the first person that we have to respect.
“It’s our club, our board, our chairman, our sports director, and ourselves. But I have that in mind. And sometimes I sleep with headaches because I cannot please everybody. I feel sorry for that, I really feel sorry,” Cardoso added.
