Gayton McKenzie to Lodge Complaint Against Sundowns Over Miguel Cardoso PSL Criticism

• Gayton McKenzie says Miguel Cardoso’s comments about South African football are damaging the league’s image
• The Sports Minister accused the Mamelodi Sundowns coach of repeatedly speaking negatively about the PSL
• Football fans on X remain divided, with some defending Cardoso while others backed McKenzie’s stance

Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie says he plans to formally complain to Mamelodi Sundowns after coach Miguel Cardoso criticised the running of South African football following the club’s CAF Champions League triumph.

McKenzie made the remarks on X on Monday, 25 May 2026, shortly after Cardoso questioned conditions in local football during post-match comments after Sundowns secured a 2-1 aggregate victory over Morocco’s AS FAR in Rabat.

In one post, McKenzie wrote:

“We are happy for Sundowns but we cannot continuously be told by this coach about how bad our league is run. We like everyone else got challenges but we have the best run league in Africa.

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“Stop talking down on South Africa. We will write to Sundowns to complain today.”

He followed that up with another strongly-worded post.

“Listening to Cardosa the coach of Sundowns you will think everything is wrong with our league, he says this things without forwarding any proof.

“We working very hard to bring in sponsors and this type of nonsense spewed sets us back tremendously,” McKenzie added.

Miguel Cardoso questions PSL scheduling

Cardoso’s comments came after a demanding end to the season for Sundowns. The side played seven matches in 21 days while competing domestically and in Africa.

Speaking after the CAF Champions League final, Cardoso said South African football authorities needed to reassess conditions if local clubs were to succeed consistently on the continent.

“It is important that if South Africa is to have one team to win again soon, some dynamics have to change, to provide the right conditions,” Cardoso said.

Cardoso said the last month had exposed “something not normal” and added that people in charge of South African football needed to decide what they wanted in terms of the development of the game in the country.

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Cardoso also pointed to injuries suffered by players including Thapelo Morena, Aubrey Modiba and Bathusi Aubaas during the busy schedule.

Fans divided after Gayton McKenzie’s response

Football supporters on X reacted quickly to McKenzie’s posts, with opinions sharply divided.

@Luckzen wrote:

“Its tiring now every chance he gets he bashes our league aowa it's much now.”

However, @LEORNY3 defended Cardoso’s comments.

“He is not lying though, PSL must do something about their calendar to accommodate all our teams who are playing in continental competitions.”

Another user, @Lebogang_4, added:

“Beside the coach even us supporters have being complaining.”

The disagreement has now added another layer to ongoing debates around fixture congestion and the standard of football administration in South Africa.

While Sundowns celebrated continental glory, Cardoso’s remarks and McKenzie’s response quickly shifted attention toward the state of South African football administration. The debate around scheduling, player welfare and league management now appears far from over.

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Briefly News also reported that Orlando Pirates pocketed an estimated R36.8 million (about US$2.23 million) after completing a historic domestic treble during the 2025/26 season.

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The Buccaneers ended a 14-year wait for the Betway Premiership title after defeating Orbit College 2-0 on Saturday, 23 May, finishing just ahead of rivals Mamelodi Sundowns in one of the closest PSL title races in recent years.

Source: Briefly News