Is the clock ticking for Cardoso?

Miguel Cardoso may have won the Betway Premiership and led Mamelodi Sundowns to the CAF Champions League final, but he is believed to be living on borrowed time at Chloorkop, with pressure mounting following the club's indifferent start to the 2025/26 campaign. Soccer Laduma looks into what's happening behind the scenes at Chloorkop.

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Following Mamelodi Sundowns' exit from the Carling Knockout, more pressure has been piled on head coach Miguel Cardoso and Soccer Laduma has been led to believe that the Portuguese mentor is closer to the exit door.

The Tshwane giants may be top of the Betway Premiership standings, but Sundowns have had a difficult start to the 2025/26 season, already missing out on two knockout competitions. It's the third domestic knockout competition that Cardoso has taken charge of since joining Sundowns in December and has not reached a final. This has placed the 53-year-old mentor under pressure, and there are indications of growing management concerns over the team's results and performance.

Last season, Sundowns let go of head coach Manqoba Mngqithi after just six league matches, stating that they were not entirely happy with the way the team was playing, despite the fact that they were top of the standings at the time of his departure. Sundowns are in a similar situation this season and it appears Cardoso is not safe from the axe at the moment.

Soccer Laduma has been informed that there have been meetings held with Cardoso over the team's performances, with management believed to have raised some concerns, despite being top of the standings. Sundowns, as previously revealed, want to win their football matches while playing their brand of football popularly known as "Piano and Shoeshine," but there has been concern that they have not been seeing this in recent times.