Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Thlopie Motsepe attributes title struggle to rising competition in the Betway Premiership

In stark contrast to head coach Miguel Cardoso’s statements, Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Thlopie Motsepe has cited the rising standard of football in the Betway Premiership as the primary reason the Brazilians failed to maintain their dominance this season.

Following their 3-2 league loss to TS Galaxy, Sundowns ceded the advantage to title rivals Orlando Pirates, who trail by three points but have two games in hand.

Pirates simply need to win against either Durban City on Saturday or Orbit College on May 23, if they decide to leave it late, to secure the title. This puts Sundowns in the rare position of finishing the domestic season without a trophy.

The Brazilians’ only realistic chance of winning silverware now lies in beating AS FAR in the CAF Champions League final.

Motsepe, in his post-match television interview on Tuesday night, said the club would not hide behind fatigue despite a long season, but would instead credit the increased competition.

“Our coach said at the beginning of the season that it was going to be a very tough campaign. There are different reasons as to why it became a tough season; maybe internally, from a Mamelodi Sundowns perspective, people may say it was the fatigue of a long campaign coming off the back of a Club World Cup, but actually credit should be given to the competition and the teams around us,” said Motsepe.

The son of club president Patrice Motsepe added:

“The way that our competitors raised the bar, and they raised the standard... There were so many teams that we played against who really put on a good show and a good performance for their own supporters and for the product.

"For us, we’ve always accepted competition; it makes everybody better. This is one of those moments where you realise that you will improve because of your opponents — your competition pushes you.

“It’s the same in global football; you know, you never have a team that continues to dominate indefinitely on its own. It’s the competition around them that makes them better. I think this is one of those seasons where we can say we had a lot of competition and we welcome it.

"We are very proud that we’ve had a good run and this team is privileged to be part of the competition.”

Contradicting Motsepe’s statement, Cardoso — speaking on the same platform just before his chairman — said:

"I invite anyone to look at the calendar that the boys have been subjected to in the last 21 days," Cardoso said after the loss to TS Galaxy. "After playing Esperance [twice in mid-April], we have played seven matches in 21 days. This is the fourth in a row [this month].

"I don't know if you can imagine what it is like to do something like that. It means almost not sleeping at home. I knew that the energy would not be high... We made mistakes that we do not usually make. In the last two matches, due to fatigue, we have exposed ourselves. We have shown holes that we have never suffered from since I came to the club. It is quite unfortunate."

Sundowns are now shifting their focus to the Champions League final, with the first leg in Tshwane on Friday night and the second leg on 24 May.

“Yes, there are still a few games left for other teams, but we can safely say we did our job and we did our best. Now we look forward to the very important hurdle that awaits us next week,” Motsepe concluded, as he thanked his fellow PSL administrators.