‘Not Because We Lost It’: Cardoso Sends Bold Warning To Betway Premiership Rivals

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says the club is not under pressure to win the Betway Premiership simply because they lost the title last season, but because winning and dominating South African football remains the club’s ambition.

Sundowns made a strong start to their league campaign on Tuesday evening, securing a 3-2 comeback victory over TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium.

The Brazilians saw their bid for a ninth consecutive league title come to an end last season after Orlando Pirates were crowned champions.

During the 2025/26 campaign, Sundowns missed out on all domestic trophies but salvaged their season by winning the CAF Champions League.

“Look, obviously we intend to fight as best as possible and as much as we can, with the energy we have, to put in the maximum commitment possible in this league,” said Cardoso.

“It’s not because we lost it before; it’s because it’s our ambition to remain ourselves and dominate South African football. So, we have to do it because it’s the history of the club. Last year, we didn’t win the league. There was a lot that we had to fight for throughout the competition. I think obviously everybody knows it was a very tough year.

“We fought against many factors. Why do we think that we did very well in the end? We had to fight throughout the season in the CAF Champions League, and reaching the final and winning that trophy was the ultimate challenge and achievement.

“So we have a lot of energy to put into this league. It’s important that, as I said before, we don’t drop our energy when we are winning matches so that we don’t have to fight because sometimes you don’t win matches like today. Sometimes you can even lose them if you allow the opponent to score goals.”

Cardoso’s side will take on Kaizer Chiefs in a blockbuster clash at FNB Stadium on Saturday.