Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has shared his assessment on the Betway Premiership title race, revealing why everyone is not happy at the Tshwane giants.
Despite currently occupying the top position on the log table, Sundowns have had an uncharacteristically inconsistent start to the 2025/26 season, dropping points on several occasions.
The defending champions have opened the new campaign with seven wins, four draws, and one defeat in their first 12 league matches, collecting 25 points. This slender lead means bitter rivals Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs are hot on their heels, both sitting on 22 points and signalling their intent to push the title race to the final day.
Given that Masandawana have clinched the league title an unprecedented eight times in a row, the team’s shaky start has fueled predictions among fans and pundits that this could finally be the season where another team breaks their dominance.
Addressing the league race, Cardoso admitted the team is far from satisfied with its current performance and acknowledged the chase will be exceptionally tough.
WHAT MIGUEL CARDOSO SAID ABOUT THE BETWAY PREM TITLE RACE
“Of course, I’m not happy with the points we have at the moment, but that is something that comes from the beginning of the season,” Cardoso said.
“Unfortunately, we lost points in matches that we should have won, but I also understood that from the beginning of the season about our conditions. I don’t want to come up with this topic because people will start saying the coach always comes up with excuses.
“Our start of the season was not as normal as it should have been; we went to the [FIFA] Club World Cup, and we didn’t have time to prepare as we should.
“Let’s go over that, but of course I’m not happy, and no one is happy at Mamelodi Sundowns, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t understand what’s happening.
“What we are working on strongly is to put everything on the right path. We knew the league was going to be tough; I already spoke about that. Competition has gotten better and harder. It comes from last season, but what we want is to shape our character in a way that we are so strong that no one can break and destroy our attitude.”
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