Cardoso Champions VAR Adoption After Cup Exit
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has once again underscored his appeal for the introduction of VAR in the PSL, following his team’s elimination by Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals on Sunday night.
The Brazilians faced a 2-1 defeat against Amakhosi, conceding goals from Wandile Duba and Ashley du Preez, with Cardoso firmly asserting that the critical goal was offside. Du Preez scored the vital goal in the 89th minute.
Cardoso is convinced that Chiefs’ winning goal was illegitimate and should not have been awarded, attributing their exit to what he considers a significant officiating error. The Chloorkop-based team still has chances to claim silverware in the Betway Premiership and the CAF Champions League.
“I don’t believe in moral victories. Today [Sunday], we were eliminated from the competition because of a referee’s mistake, and it’s important to acknowledge this and stand by it,” Cardoso stated.
While he recognizes that his team did not perform at their best, Cardoso noted that their recent continental encounter against Esperance de Tunis before such a crucial domestic cup semi-final may have impacted his players.
“This was not our finest performance; certainly not. However, after playing in the Champions League and dealing with the associated emotions and challenges, domestic matches can be quite tough – but that’s no excuse,” he remarked.
“We should have done better; we have the ability to excel. Nonetheless, let’s not be too harsh on ourselves. I don’t think we gain any momentum from a loss. We can take lessons, but that requires giving our all, as it appeared there were times we fell short.”
“I believe we needed to start stronger, demonstrating greater capability on the field. Ultimately, the result doesn’t reflect that; it stems from a single error that allowed their equalizer.”
The Portuguese coach went on to assert that his team deserved to advance to the final over Nasreddine Nabi’s side, as they fought valiantly but were victims of injustice. The 52-year-old expressed his frustration over the absence of VAR in South Africa’s top league—a point he has consistently raised since his arrival in the country.
“Winning every match is difficult; we aimed to reach the final stage of the competition, and we should have been there as we possess the quality and fought for it, yet we weren’t allowed the chance for extra time,” Cardoso added.
“Maybe our sponsors could think about providing VAR for semi-finals in the future to ensure a fairer game, as this is vital at this stage of the competition. I remember last year in Tunisia, where the first phase of the championship had no VAR, but the playoffs incorporated it for all matches.”
“That is fair for football, as sometimes decisions affect people’s lives due to mistakes that are unrelated to our performance. So, what can I really tell my players now? We lost because of a significant error.”