Cardoso Slams South African Pitch Standards
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has launched a scathing attack on the quality of South Africa’s playing conditions following his side’s 1-1 draw against Chippa United in the Betway Premiership at Buffalo City Stadium on Saturday evening.
The match was played on a wet pitch following rainfall in East London, with the difficult conditions making it challenging for both teams to play their usual style of football.
Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams also experienced the slippery conditions in the first half when he lost his footing while attempting to deal with the ball. Fortunately for the Brazilians, the goalkeeper recovered quickly and avoided any serious trouble.
Speaking after the match, Cardoso strongly criticised the state of the pitch and warned that South Africa could fall even further behind Morocco if the country fails to improve its football infrastructure.
“Look, these fans deserve something different,” Cardoso said on SuperSport TV.
“It’s like you invite them to go home and then you don’t give them anything to eat. Horrible, horrible conditions to play football.
“I remember that after the World Cup, South Africa said that they would reduce the distance from Morocco, but no, not with these conditions.
“The distance from Morocco will increase more and more because Morocco understood that good playing conditions lead to better games, increase the level of the players and help national teams improve.
“There’s a hell of a job for Mr Pitso Mosimane to do in the future if the players and the best teams continue to play on these pitches. It’s not proper to play football. We did our best. We fought with all the conditions that we had.”
Despite dropping two points against Chippa, Sundowns remain at the top of the Betway Premiership standings with 20 points from eight matches.
The draw was their second of the league campaign, with the defending champions otherwise enjoying an impressive start to the season.
Sundowns will now turn their attention to an important international fixture against Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli Saudi in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup next Saturday at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
Cardoso’s side will be looking to return to winning ways in that encounter, but his comments in East London have once again highlighted concerns over the quality of playing surfaces in South African football.
