Sundowns boss Cardoso deserves Coach of the Season award: Mngqithi

Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi says his successor at Mamelodi Sundowns, Miguel Cardoso, deserves to win the Betway Premiership Coach of the Season award.

Mngqithi, who parted ways with Downs in December to make way for Cardoso, also tipped the Pretoria club's Brazilian star Lucas Ribeiro to make a clean sweep of the players' awards.

Cardoso replaced Mngqithi at Chloorkop seven games into the Premiership. The Portuguese coach steered the Brazilians to their eighth league title on the trot, registering 18 wins with two defeats and one draw from 21 league outings.

Ribeiro topped the league's scoring charts with 16 goals, two ahead of teammate Iqraam Rayners, who, according to Mngqithi, should be the closest challenger to the Brazilian.

“For me, I'd give it [Coach of the Season] to Cardoso because I think the team [Sundowns] has been strong,” Mngqithi, winner of the award with co-coach Rulani Mokwena in 2021-2022, said.

“The team has lost fewer matches [three] and has conceded less [just 13 goals] — they've also scored more than any other team [65 goals]. If you don't give it to him [Cardoso], why not? He deserves it.

“I think Lucas deserves it [Player of the Season]. Iqraam is also close, but in my opinion Lucas is probably at the top of the list to collect almost everything.”

Last Tuesday, the league confirmed the postponement of the end-of-season awards.

“The PSL awards ceremony has traditionally been held in June. However, due to Sundowns' participation in the 2025 Fifa Club World Cup [in the US in June and July] and the 2024-2025 Caf Champions League final [over last and the coming weekends], the league has decided to postpone this season's ceremony,” it said.

“The league will communicate the new date and further details of the awards ceremony [later].”

Sundowns were held to a 1-1 draw by Egyptian side Pyramids FC in the Champions League final first leg at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, with the second leg in Cairo on Sunday (7pm SA time). In the Club World Cup, the Tshwane giants are in Group F with German giants Borussia Dortmund, Fluminense of Brazil and South Korean side Ulsan.

The Club World Cup starts on June 15 and concludes on July 13. Sundowns face Ulsan in their Group F opener at Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando on June 18 and Dortmund in Cincinnati three days later. They wrap up their group phase campaign against Fluminense in Miami on June 25.

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