Cardoso explains Teboho Mokoena’s Mamelodi Sundowns omission was down to rotation

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says Teboho Mokoena was left out of the starting line-up against Milford FC purely as part of his squad rotation, despite ongoing reports linking the midfielder with a move to Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli.

Mokoena was named among the substitutes before Sundowns beat newcomers Milford FC 2-0 at Loftus Stadium on Wednesday. The 29-year-old came on at half-time as Sundowns moved level on points with Orlando Pirates at the top of the Betway Premiership table.

The decision to bench the Bafana Bafana international came amid speculation over his future. Mokoena’s representative has been quoted in the media dismissing the reports of a possible transfer, and Cardoso was similarly clear that the player’s omission had no connection with the rumours.

Instead, the Portuguese coach said the demands placed on his team meant he had to manage the squad carefully, with Mokoena treated in the same way as the rest of his players.

“Tebza stayed on the bench like other players as you see,” said Cardoso.

“Like Bryan [Leon] stayed on the bench, like players that started the previous one, like Fawaaz [Basadien] started the previous one, staying on the bench. [Thapelo] Morena started the previous one, stayed on the bench. [Khulumani] Ndamane didn’t even come on the call-up.

“So look, when you play matches with intensity, I think you saw because you praised it the level that we’ve been putting before in AmaZulu, and then all [Lamontvile Golden] Arrows away the intensity of that match.

“If we don’t change a few players on the team today, we would be on the knees in this match and for the future.

“So the rotation of the players has to do with management of the group, also providing opportunities for everybody, and nothing more than that.”

Cardoso pointed to the physical demands of Sundowns’ recent fixtures as the reason for making changes to his line-up. He referred to the intensity of the team’s performance against AmaZulu and in the away match against [Lamontvile Golden] Arrows, saying that failing to rotate the squad could have left his players struggling during the Milford fixture and in future matches.

Mokoena’s introduction at the interval allowed him to contribute to Sundowns’ efforts against the newly promoted side, while the victory kept the club level with Orlando Pirates at the summit of the Betway Premiership.

Cardoso also stressed that rotation was designed to manage the group as a whole and give opportunities to every member of his squad. Bryan Leon, Fawaaz Basadien and Thapelo Morena were among those who had started the previous match but were left out of the starting side against Milford FC, while Khulumani Ndamane was not included in the match-day call-up.

The coach’s comments therefore offered a direct explanation for Mokoena’s absence from the starting line-up, with Sundowns maintaining that the decision was football-related and not connected to speculation about a possible move to Al Ahli.