Cardoso criticises late venue switch ahead of Sundowns’ Intercontinental Cup clash

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says Chippa United’s late decision to move their Betway Premiership fixture has disrupted preparations for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

The match was due to be played at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Gqeberha but has been transferred to Buffalo City Stadium because of “concerns regarding the condition and maintenance of the playing surface”.

Sundowns are scheduled to face Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli in the Intercontinental Cup on 19 September. Cardoso said the change means his players will have less recovery and training time before that fixture, and questioned why Premier Soccer League clubs are permitted to nominate more than one home venue.

Speaking after Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over Siwelele FC, Cardoso said the revised travel arrangements had affected a plan to give his squad two days off followed by four days of preparation.

“I spoke already a lot about South Africa regarding pitches,” he said.

“It’s very tricky for me because I’m highly criticised when I speak about things about that I think will take the game to another level in South Africa.

“I don’t want to speak because people always say I speak about the opponents, about the other teams we play against, the other teams we fight for trophies – they always say I speak about the opponent.

“But I just want you to understand that we have a trip planned to fly, to play… [in Gqeberha]. I just want you to understand that the change of venue clearly disrupts our preparations for the Intercontinental Cup.

“You know why? Because when the venue was changed, we cannot travel on the same day back and we cannot travel in the morning on the following day, we have only a flight because there were not seats available at 5:00 in the afternoon.

“So after the match we’re going to stay there, watching the faces of each other and enjoying a hotdog, maybe we can walk on the beach.

“It means by allowing this change of venue, or not putting us on a venue where we can travel we are not given the right conditions to prepare the match, and you say ‘Yeah, but you still have six days’. Yeah but I had planned to give two days off to my players and then had four days of preparation for the Intercontinental.”

Cardoso added that players who do not feature against Chippa would also lose the opportunity to complete an additional training session.

“My players, they don’t even know that still because I didn’t want them to know, but they are expecting to spend the day with the family and they will stay there until 5:00 to fly back, the players that don’t play will not have a chance to train, they will not be able to top up a training session and that’s the condition.

“I don’t understand why, a club in the beginning of the season states ‘This is my pitch, this is my pitch’. And you don’t change according to your interest, because of this because of that, you don’t put one team on this pitch, you take another another one to another pitch.

“When this kind of conditions are created you allow people to be suspicious about why you manage the venues and take one team here, the other one there, why you do that? My venue is this one and this one, there is no other one and you play here.

“You go to Portugal and there is no two stadiums, Porto plays on his stadium, Benfica plays on their stadium, Sporting plays on their stadium and the stadiums are always ready – rain, fungus, storms, they are always ready because people take care of those stadiums.

“And if we don’t move in that direction, suspicion can always be raised, not by me, but you are the one making that question to me, because you are also suspicious why did this happen?”