Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says the gulf in football facilities quality between South Africa and Morocco will continue to widen if pitch conditions in the Betway Premiership are not improved, something he believes would make life difficult for Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane.
Cardoso’s remarks came after witnessing Chippa United host Sundowns on a “horrible” pitch at Buffalo City Stadium in a league game on Saturday. The match ended 1-1, with Masandawana dramatically salvaging a point through substitute Antonio van Wyk’s last-gasp strike.
The surface was wet and slippery, worsened by rain, especially in the second half. Cardoso has often been vocal about the state of some stadiums in South Africa and has expanded on the context in his latest remarks, touching on Bafana.
CARDOSO RAISES RED FLAG FOR BAFANA COACH MOSIMANE
The South Africa senior men’s national team is dominated by Betway Premiership players, especially from Orlando Pirates and Sundowns. After recently being confirmed as the new Bafana coach, Mosimane picked up from where his predecessor, Hugo Broos, left off. Trust in locally-based players has continued.
But Cardoso says the poor pitch conditions could affect the level of the local game, with a knock-on effect on the national side. He says that could make Mosimane’s job difficult, as he compares local facilities to Morocco’s.
The North African country continues to spruce up its stadiums, especially ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which they will jointly host with Portugal and Spain.
“I remember that after the World Cup, South Africa said that they would reduce the distance from Morocco, but no, not with these conditions,” said Cardoso in his post-match interview on SuperSport TV.
“The distance from Morocco will increase more and more because Morocco understood that conditions to play football bring better games, increase the level of the players and allow the national team to get better.
“There is a hell of a job for Mr Pitso Mosimane to do in the future, if the best teams continue to play on these pitches. It’s not proper to play football.”
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