Cardoso hopes for an all-South African CAF Champions League final
Miguel Cardoso dreams of an all-South African CAF Champions League final between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso is eyeing a dream final against Orlando Pirates in the CAF Champions League, believing it would be a massive boost for South African football.
Both teams are currently competing in the quarter-finals of the tournament and secured crucial first-leg victories on Tuesday. Sundowns edged past Esperance 1-0, while Pirates secured the same result against MC Alger.
A final to showcase South African football
Cardoso expressed his excitement at the possibility of a showdown between the two local giants on the biggest stage of African club football.
“I want to play the final of the Champions League against Pirates,” he stated. “Because I’m so pleased that people who love football come to the stadium. They fill our stadium and help us to be strong.
“And people who support Mamelodi Sundowns make them [players] feel heard during the match, so that we also get the energy that teams from South Africa get when they play at home.”
Cardoso highlights the impact of fan support
The Sundowns coach emphasized how an electric stadium atmosphere elevates players’ performances and contributes to the spectacle of the Champions League.
“We love those ambiences. We really love those ambiences. Those ambiances should also highlight the best of the players. So that’s also something we’d like to have so that we can indeed feel that excitement because a Champions League match is not any match. It’s something else.
“And the ambience you can put in the stadium can help us, obviously, to get a little bit of extra energy in the moments that we need for it,” Cardoso said.
With both teams on course for a potential final clash, South African football fans will be eagerly watching as Sundowns and Pirates continue their Champions League campaigns, hoping to make history with an all-local final.