Cardoso dedicates Sundowns’ FIFA Continental Cup triumph to late Adams

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso dedicated his side’s 2-1 victory over Al Ahli Saudi to the late Jayden Adams after the South African club won the FIFA Continental Cup at Loftus Stadium on Saturday.

The Portuguese coach said he was still finding it difficult to accept the midfielder’s death. Adams had played an important part in Sundowns’ CAF Champions League triumph, which earned them the opportunity to face the Saudi giants.

Cardoso said the victory also reflected the work carried out away from the spotlight at Chloorkop, describing the achievement as the result of effort, sacrifice and belief within the club.

“I want to leave a special word today in memory of Jayden Adams. I think it’s a fantastic moment to honour him and dedicate this medal to his soul,” said Cardoso.

“He is always with us; he is always with me, and I have to confess I struggled with his death. We promised ourselves that the best thing we could do is fight together to honour him throughout our journey together.”

The 54-year-old said Sundowns had shown the strength of their collective organisation in front of their home supporters.

He was particularly pleased with the level of performance produced by The Brazilians, who took the lead twice before securing the win through midfielder Nuno Santos’ goals.

Cardoso believes the result has again placed African football on a global stage, with millions of viewers watching the match. Sundowns will now face a team from South America in the next stage of the competition.

“Proud to put the name of the club on this platform. Proud to put the name of South Africa on this platform,” he said.

Cardoso also referred to his opportunity to greet Pitso, while noting he had not yet publicly congratulated him on becoming head coach of the national team of South Africa.

“The national team of South Africa. And obviously it’s also important from our side that we put the continent on the platform that needs to be put itself,” Cardoso added.

“So Africa in general has amazing football and it’s an opportunity for us to project African football throughout the world once. So I have to confess, I feel myself absolutely humble, but at the same time with a sense of accomplishment that I don’t think is easy to express in words.”

The victory extended Sundowns’ successful run after their CAF Champions League campaign and gave the Betway Premiership side another opportunity to represent both South Africa and the wider African continent on the international stage.