Nuno Santos tells Sundowns critics they ‘talk too much’ after Champions League exit

Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Nuno Santos has criticised those questioning the club after their unexpected CAF Champions League elimination, saying people often comment without knowing what is happening behind the scenes.

The Brazilians were knocked out by Angola’s Wiliete SC in the second preliminary round, meaning they will not feature in the competition’s group stages this season.

The early exit came after Mamelodi Sundowns won the continental title last season, making the result particularly difficult for the players and club to accept. Santos acknowledged the disappointment but said the team’s immediate attention had now shifted to the Super Cup.

“I mean, we won the Champions League last year, so it’s not easy as well,” said Santos.

“Obviously, as I said before, we wanted to be in the competition, but I don’t want to speak too much about it as well, because that’s not why we are here for, we are here for the Super Cup, so I’m focused on that.”

Santos said the squad was concentrating on matters still within its control rather than continuing to dwell on the Champions League disappointment.

“We are focused on everything that we control from now on, and the Champions League is not one of them,” he added.

The midfielder also defended the efforts being made within the club, suggesting that outside criticism did not always reflect the work taking place away from the public view.

“We know that people talk, sometimes the people talk too much, without knowing what’s happening in the background,” said Santos.

“The only thing that I can say is that we do our best every day to make Sundowns better.”

Santos’ comments came after Mamelodi Sundowns missed the opportunity to defend their CAF Champions League title. Their defeat by Wiliete SC ended their campaign before the group stage, despite their status as the previous season’s champions.

Rather than discuss the reasons for the setback in detail, Santos chose to underline the importance of focusing on the Super Cup and on the areas the squad could still influence. He said the club’s daily efforts were directed towards improving Mamelodi Sundowns, despite the reaction to their continental exit.