Saleng repeatedly missed team duties despite Sundowns support, says Cardoso

Mamelodi Sundowns manager Miguel Cardoso says Monnapule Saleng repeatedly failed to report for team duties despite the club’s efforts to support and integrate the troubled winger.

Cardoso said Saleng had been absent on several occasions after being included in the match-day squad, leaving the coaching staff and his team-mates disappointed. The Portuguese manager also confirmed that the player had been isolated from the squad for breaching team and club protocols.

The revelations have caused concern in South African football, with Saleng’s move to Mamelodi Sundowns having been viewed as an opportunity to revive his career after similar disciplinary problems at Orlando Pirates and Orbit College.

Saleng’s agent, Karabo Mathang-Tshabuse of P Management, backed up Cardoso’s comments during an appearance on Metro FM’s Sport Night Live With Andile Ncube. She said the agency would continue doing everything possible to support the player, but added that he needed to be willing to receive psychological assistance.

Cardoso gave further details about the winger’s conduct while speaking at a pre-match press conference before Sunday’s MTN8 semi-final against Golden Arrows at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

“Imagine you train with him the whole week, put his name in the match-day squad, and on the day of the game when you are waiting for him to get on the bus, he just doesn’t show up,” Cardoso revealed.

The manager said the issue had occurred several times rather than being an isolated incident.

“This didn’t happen just once, but three or four times. He was the last one to arrive and the first one to leave. It makes it very difficult to foster a player’s development.”

Despite the repeated absences, Cardoso insisted that Sundowns had not withdrawn its support from Saleng. He said members of the coaching staff and the squad continued to treat the player as part of the group and tried to help him at the start of the season.

“We tried to help him at the beginning of the season. We gave him love. Even after he let us down multiple times, our attitude didn’t change – we continued to embrace him,” Cardoso stated.

The manager added that the club had attempted to make Saleng feel valued and included, while also stressing that the player needed to show a personal commitment to becoming part of the team.

“We made him feel important. My assistant even showed me a picture where I was dancing with him during a team celebration. I tried, personally, to make him understand that we wanted him integrated into the family. But he had to show that he wanted to be a part of it, too.”

Cardoso had recently disclosed that Saleng was no longer training with the squad because of ill-discipline and breaches of internal protocols. The latest comments explain the extent of the difficulties facing Sundowns as they attempted to help the attacker settle at the club.