Miguel Cardoso raises alarm over Mamelodi Sundowns’ yellow cards trend

The Portuguese mentor was speaking after Sundowns thrashed AmaZulu 5-2 at Loftus Stadium on Wednesday night, a match in which he was also booked for dissent after questioning the officials’ decisions.

Cardoso argued that the trend could prove detrimental to Sundowns’ title ambitions, particularly given last season’s outcome when The Brazilians surrendered the Betway Premiership crown to Orlando Pirates.

"I'm pretty happy, I'm just not happy with seeing my players receive so many yellow cards. I think it's important that we understand that we have already in five matches, 15 yellow cards,” Cardoso said.

“A team like Sundowns that dominates match after match you'll go to see the stats and you'll see how much ball possession we have. We finished with four yellow cards, AmaZulu with one. 

“We played Golden Arrows, we finished with three, Golden Arrows with one We played Marumo Gallants, we finished with one yellowcard, Marumo with zero. Chiefs was 4, 4 (yellowcards), Polokwane 2, 2 but Polokwane shouldn't have had one but three yellow cards. 

“Just for you to understand, last year we had 53 yellow cards, Pirates had 28. We had four redcards, Pirates had zero red cards. The yellowcards put players out as we go through the championship and those matches in the front will speak for this championship. For the referees please pay attention to the way you are so easily coming to target my players because it's too easy to target my players."

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Cardoso added that match officials need to be fair going forward. 

"An it's time to understand that like that situation of the goal that Bryan scored, in the moment we finished the game, we made 5-2 and the game is finished, they disallowed the goal because the referee is not on the line, at the sideline, he's three meters behind of course he cannot make the decision,” the coach added. 

“Let's hope indeed the situation can be corrected because the yellow cards will take players out in the front and we want our players to play as much as the players from the teams that we fight against. The rules are the same for everybody."