Rulani Mokwena accuses Sundowns' Miguel Cardoso of 'clear disrespect' after touchline clash

MC Alger head coach Rulani Mokwena has blasted the conduct of Miguel Cardoso following Mamelodi Sundowns’ CAF Champions League victory at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Sundowns secured a vital win over MC Alger to book their place in the knockout stages of the competition, delivering a composed performance when qualification was on the line. 

However, the match ended with tension on the touchline after Cardoso celebrated Sundowns’ second goal inside the away technical area.

The incident sparked a heated exchange between the two benches, briefly requiring intervention from match officials and members of both technical teams.

Mokwena, addressing the aftermath, questioned the consistency with which touchline conduct is judged, insisting that the laws governing the technical area must apply equally to all.

“If Rulani has walked across to the opposition technical area, people would’ve made a hellabaloo about it because the laws of the game prohibits any technical team member to move across and past the fourth official to the technical area of the other team,” he said.

The MC Alger coach described the actions as a clear breach of protocol and respect.

“If that isn’t clear disrespect for the opposition and the opposing technical team staff, it is a clear violation of not only CAF rules but FIFA rules.”

Mokwena was also adamant that he was not responsible for escalating the situation, placing the focus firmly on the initial act.

“Questions for that type of behaviour should be posed to the person that did it, he should answer to the provocation because it is provocation and he should say what the point of that was,” he explained.

“Today you cannot say Rulani was involved in the handbags, it’s impossible.”

While Sundowns move on to the knockout phase, the fallout from the touchline confrontation may yet attract scrutiny from CAF, underlining how high-stakes continental football often extends beyond the pitch.