Head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns Miguel Cardoso has explained his outfit decision not to augment squad for the FIFA Club World Cup.
The South African giants did not make any acquisition before the start of the tournament unlike other participating teams.
Sundowns are paired in Group F against Ulsan HD, Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund at the expanded Club World Cup being held at the USA.
However, Cardoso has shed light on why his side never augmented their squad for the tournament.
“We didn’t have much time for training. For example, let’s look at the African teams: Wydad didn’t take part in the Champions League, their league ended quite early, and they even changed their coach. So, they had a period of rebuilding and it made sense to bring in new players to kickstart a new process.
“Al Ahly’s story was similar to Wydad. A new coach, new approaches, new training sessions — so why not? If a new philosophy is being introduced, then why not bring in new players as well?” Cardoso explained.
Mamelodi Sundowns will face Ulsan Hyundai in their opening match of the Club World Cup group stage on Tuesday at 10pm.
