“Final After Final” – Cardoso Breaks Silence On CAF Rules Ahead Of Sundowns’ Do-or-Die Tie
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has accepted the CAF Champions League qualifying format, insisting that teams must compete according to the rules of each competition.
The Brazilians will host Wiliete at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday night in the second leg of their CAF Champions League preliminary-round tie.
A victory will secure the defending champions a place in the group stages following a goalless draw in the first leg away from home.
However, if the return leg also ends in a goalless draw, the tie will be decided by a penalty shootout.
“The rules are there, and we have to play according to them,” said Cardoso.
“I once heard Juanma Lillo [(Pep Guardiola’s renowned assistant mentor) say that the game is played under the rules it has, and the better we understand those rules, the better we can manage the game. I think it is the same here.
“I do not have an opinion on the format. The rules are there, and we have to respect them. In the UEFA Champions League, I think the winners do not have to play qualifying rounds, but every competition has its own rules.
“Here in South Africa, we have three different cup competitions, and they all have different formats. We have the MTN8, which involves eight teams, the Carling Knockout, with its own draw format, and the Nedbank Cup, where teams can be drawn against each other. We accept the rules of each competition, do our best and compete accordingly,” Cardoso added.
Cardoso guided Sundowns to the CAF Champions League title last season and has emphasised the importance of approaching Friday’s encounter with the right mentality.
The 54-year-old coach has described the clash as another final for his side, highlighting the importance of progressing to the next stage of the competition.
“This match has its own analysis, just like the one we are going to play on Tuesday and the one we are going to play the following week,” said Cardoso.
“It’s a final. It’s a final. We’ve been playing final after final since we arrived here, since the season started. That’s exactly how we see it, and it’s a reality. It’s a competition that is settled in stages, and there’s always a point in the different stages where it becomes a final. I remember when I arrived at Sundowns, we had to play a final match against Raja Casablanca at home. It has been like that.
“That’s the reality for teams that fight to win everything and want to compete at the highest level. So, I see it that way: two teams that want to move forward. The result is a nullity because it doesn’t speak for itself. There’s no changing of points, as if we were just playing this one.
“We know that if we win, we go through. We know that if we draw 0-0, we go to penalties. We know that if we draw with goals, we are out. But, as I said, finals are to be won, and we need to perform at our best to achieve a result that allows us to progress to the next stage of the competition.”
