By
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has explained remarks he made about the attendance at Loftus Stadium for their CAF Champions League home match against Al Ahly being low.
Following the goalless draw in Tshwane, the Portuguese mentor mistakenly suggested the venue was “almost empty” despite evidence it was instead closer to full capacity.
Cardoso admitted his reference was based on an observation made before kick-off against title holders Ahly and has apologised.
“It’s a pleasure to play in stadiums like this, like we have in Tunisia like we’ve been finding everywhere when we play Champions League, like we had in Morocco and like we had in South Africa because in the beginning of the game and I made that mistake when I entered the pitch it was not really full but then it got filled up you know,” Cardoso said.
“Because when I entered the pitch I looked at the stands and it was clear that the stadium got full or at least got very comfortable in terms of numbers of people and I made a mistake addressing that in the end.”
The Cairo International Stadium will have a sold-out crowd after Ahly got the greenlight to fill up for the Sundowns clash.
Cardoso says The Brazilians will not be fazed.
“Playing in Johannesburg in Loftus with a lot of people, playing here with a lot of people, playing in Tunisia with a lot of people, playing in Morocco with a lot of people, that’s how we wanna live our lives, that’s why we work so much,” the coach added.
“So, we come for a pleasant moment, for a moment of pleasure where we will enjoy all the ambiance. I played here also last year, the stadium was full and we enjoyed. We don’t feel minus because of having a full stadium, we feel stronger and let’s hope we can put the crowd in silence or they will be booing us or whistling us, it means that we are doing well and that’s what we live our lives for.
“For moments like this, so for sure we will come with a big enthusiasm and not with any kind of fear regarding people. The ambiance here is strong but it’s positive, there’s no violence, there’s no aggression, so we feel it will be a wonderful experience again.”
