Fadlu Davids backs Miguel Cardoso’s criticism of South Africa’s poor pitches

South African coach Fadlu Davids has supported Miguel Cardoso’s complaints about playing surfaces in the Premier Soccer League, saying the condition of some stadiums is damaging the image of the competition.

Cardoso, the Mamelodi Sundowns coach, criticised the pitch at Buffalo City Stadium in KuGompo City after his team were held to a 1-1 draw by Chippa United.

The Portuguese coach has also previously questioned the condition of the playing surfaces at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium and Kanyamazane Stadium.

Davids believes Sundowns’ high technical standards can make them particularly vulnerable when matches are played on poor pitches. He suggested that opponents may benefit from hosting the club at venues where it is difficult for the reigning African champions to maintain their usual style of football.

“Sundowns are forced, whether it’s legitimate or not legitimate, to take them to places where pitch conditions will be difficult. And that’s not good for our football,” Davids said on Radio 2000.

He also called for a more centralised approach to the management of stadium pitches, pointing to Morocco as an example the PSL could follow.

“I always hear coach Cardoso complaining about pitches and he’s absolutely right. In Morocco, we played on carpet in any part of Morocco,” he said.

Davids said the Moroccan league was responsible for ensuring that all of its pitches met the required standard, including managing changes between winter and summer grass.

“That’s because the league manages all pitches. And all the pitches have the certain standard and when it comes to winter or summer grass, the league will stop for certain period so that they can change the pitch conditions. I think that will definitely improve the image of our league.”

He added that Sundowns’ success in Africa reflected the quality of the club, while questioning whether the PSL currently operated at the same technical level.

“I have to be honest, it’s [Sundowns success in Africa] a reflection of how good Sundowns are, the quality of the league, I’m not sure whether it’s the same level of quality that Sundowns has,” Davids said.

His comments came as criticism of pitch conditions continued to focus on whether the standard of playing surfaces across South Africa allows the league’s leading technical sides to perform at their best.