From Ruthless to Patient? Mamelo Sundowns’ curious faith in Miguel Cardoso

Mamelodi Sundowns have always set themselves apart with an unforgiving culture. This is not a club that rewards comfort — in recent times even success has rarely been enough to guarantee job security.

Rulani Mokwena found that out in July 2024. His record included back-to-back Premiership titles and the historic African Football League. 

But that counted for little when the hierarchy decided his time was up.

Manqoba Mngqithi’s story is equally telling. He was part of the most successful period in Sundowns’ modern history, working alongside Pitso Mosimane and later with Mokwena. 

That brains trust delivered not only league dominance but also numerous other trophies, cementing the club’s reputation as South Africa’s silverware machine. 

Yet when Mngqithi finally got the reins on his own in July 2024, he lasted just five months before being replaced.

Against this ruthless backdrop, Miguel Cardoso’s survival feels out of place.

The Portuguese coach arrived in December 2024, heralded as a fresh start with European tactical nous. On paper, his return has been modest. 

Sundowns retained the league crown, but that is considered the bare minimum at Chloorkop. The real yardstick is cup football and the Caf Champions League — and here, Cardoso faltered badly. 

He presided over domestic cup failures and watched his side fall short in the Champions League final against a less-fancied Pyramids.

Ordinarily, that would have been the end. By Sundowns’ own recent standards, failing in Africa and missing out on local cups is unacceptable. Mokwena and Mngqithi lost their jobs for less.

Sundowns’ stuttering start to the 2025/2026 Betway Premiership campaign has raised questions around their progression under the Portuguese tactician. 

So why does Cardoso still sit in the dugout?

Part of the answer lies in politics. Mokwena’s dismissal was tied to fractured relationships more than poor results. 

Mngqithi was seen as tethered to the Mosimane era, yesterday’s man in a club obsessed with the future.

Cardoso, however, was the bold outside appointment — the European face of Sundowns’ ambition to position themselves as a global club. Cutting him loose so soon would feel like an admission of failure.

Optics also matter. Sundowns have long marketed themselves as Africa’s best-run project. Firing a Portuguese coach just months after a continental final would make them appear erratic. 

Instead, the board has opted for the story of stability, even if the footballing evidence points to underachievement.

But the contradiction is glaring. Mokwena and Mngqithi delivered league titles, Nedbank Cups and MTN8 crowns, yet were discarded without hesitation. 

Cardoso has not matched them and remains untouched. Perhaps the club has softened, or perhaps Cardoso is living on borrowed time. 

At Sundowns, where the bar is higher than anywhere else on the continent, his continued presence is not a reflection of achievement — it’s the biggest mystery of this new era.