Miguel Cardoso questions officiating after Mamelodi Sundowns return to top

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has criticised the standard of match officiating in the Betway Premiership after his side’s 4-1 victory over Durban City in Rustenburg on Saturday.

The win moved Sundowns back to the summit on 26 points from 10 matches, one point above Orlando Pirates. Pirates beat Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 in the Soweto derby earlier on Saturday, but have played one match fewer.

Cardoso suggested that controversial decisions in both matches had gone largely in one direction, although he said he had not watched the Soweto derby live.

“Look, I have to confess that I didn’t see today’s [Saturday] match in the afternoon,” said Cardoso during a post-match news conference carried by PrimeSportsWithMahlatseTV.

“I just saw the incidents, and I think everybody saw the incidents, one night, one day again to remember for South Africa.

“I just want people to see what happened today [Saturday] here as the penalties that we had that were not conceded, and what happened today [Saturday] because the mistakes they look that they always fall for the same side. It’s just a matter of bad luck for sure.”

The Portuguese manager did not identify any individual referee or provide further details about the decisions, but urged supporters to consider what had taken place across the two matches.

Sundowns had to settle for the outcome of several penalty appeals during their victory over Durban City, while the Soweto derby also featured decisions that attracted scrutiny.

Cardoso said his team must avoid allowing officiating to distract them from their own responsibilities as they pursue success in the league.

“For us, we have to play every match concentrating on what we control, and what we control is our performance. We try to avoid problems with the referees. We try not to speak with the referees.

“We have to make our job, think about football, play best as we can, and that’s the attitude that this team has to have.”