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Miguel Cardoso talks about the reasons for Teboho Mokoena's absence

The Portuguese coach spoke frankly about the reason for the absence of his team's midfielder.

While Mamelodi Sundowns' 3-0 triumph over Magesi FC was a commanding display that propelled them to the league's summit, the match was marked by a conspicuous silence—the absence of star midfielder Teboho Mokoena. His name was missing from the team sheet at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, leaving fans to speculate on the reason behind the surprise omission.

Following the final whistle, which confirmed Sundowns' rise to the top with 14 points, Coach Miguel Cardoso provided clarity on the strategic decision.Cardoso painted a picture of a player stretched by a grueling schedule, having just completed two full 90-minute battles for Bafana Bafana in the World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria.

This international exertion, layered atop his heavy workload for Sundowns, led the technical team to a single conclusion: a calculated pause was essential. The decision was thus revealed not as a reaction to injury or form, but as a prudent measure in the long-term management of a vital asset.

What exactly did Cardoso say about his player?

Coach Cardoso addressed the media with a tone of strategic foresight, framing the absences not as a setback but as a necessary calculation for the long campaign ahead. He revealed that the decision was rooted in a careful assessment of player fatigue and the relentless schedule looming over the team.

“Look, there were three players, two of them who didn’t enter the [team] list. But they were managed by the level of fatigue they showed and mostly considering what we have ahead [many games],” Cardoso explained, pulling back the curtain on his managerial rationale.

He used the specific case of Teboho Mokoena to illustrate his point, detailing the midfielder's exhausting run of matches without a significant break. “Teboho, as you know, played two 90-minute matches with the national team. Before he went to the national team, he played for us, and he didn’t stop," he stated, underscoring the cumulative physical toll.

His explanation evolved into a broader philosophy on squad management, emphasizing that such rotations are a testament to the team's depth and a prerequisite for survival in a packed calendar. “So, as a coach, I need to manage the players in order to have them ready. We have Wednesday, Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and we are going to go until, as I said at the beginning of October," he outlined, mapping out the grueling pace.