Williams injury not serious, says Sundowns boss Cardoso

Mamelodi Sundowns manager Miguel Cardoso says goalkeeper Ronwen Williams is expected to recover quickly after missing the CAF Champions League match against Wiliete SC in Angola.

The Bafana Bafana captain was left out of the squad for Sunday’s goalless draw in the first leg of the second preliminary round tie.

Sundowns team doctor Dr Carl Kgabo Tabane said before kick-off that Williams and Aubrey Modiba were unavailable because of short-term injuries. He added that neither problem was considered serious.

Cardoso has since provided more detail on the issue affecting the Sundowns vice captain, saying it was caused by a minor incident during training.

“Ronwen should not be a big thing. He had a small contact yesterday in the training session, got some pain,” Cardoso said, according to the club’s media department.

“It was important to keep him safe from something that could come that would be, let’s say, more aggressive or that would put him in danger for the future.

“But no, not really. So we expect to recover him promptly.”

The update will encourage Sundowns as they prepare for the second meeting with Wiliete, with the South African champions hoping Williams will be available again soon.

Return leg in Tshwane

Williams could return to contention when Sundowns host Wiliete in Tshwane on Friday.

The first-leg stalemate leaves the tie evenly poised, with the defending champions needing a positive result at home to advance to the next round of the CAF Champions League and keep their continental campaign on course.