Sundowns Coach Cardoso Confirms Thapelo Maseko Wants to Leave the Club

• Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso broke his silence on Thapelo Maseko's future after the club's MTN8 win over Polokwane City
• Cardoso revealed he held a private meeting with the 22-year-old Bafana Bafana winger and offered him a place back in the first-team squad
• Maseko's response to the coach's offer has put his Sundowns future firmly in question

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has publicly confirmed that winger Thapelo Maseko has expressed a desire to leave the club, following a private meeting between the two in which Maseko turned down the opportunity to return to the first-team fold.

Cardoso addressed the matter with reporters after Sundowns' 3-2 MTN8 quarter-final victory over Polokwane City on 9 August 2026, ending weeks of speculation that had built after the 22-year-old shared emotional posts on Instagram hinting at unhappiness and a wish to move on from the African champions.

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Cardoso's private talk with Maseko

Cardoso stressed that there was no personal rift between him and Maseko. He said the pair had a positive private conversation in which he asked the winger whether he wanted to remain at Sundowns.

The coach explained that he had offered Maseko the opportunity to return to the first-team setup, making it clear that both he and the squad were willing to welcome him back. However, Maseko indicated that he wanted to pursue an opportunity elsewhere.

Cardoso said that once the player expressed his desire to leave, the matter moved beyond his responsibilities as coach and would now have to be handled by the club's management.

Maseko remains in good standing with the coach

Despite the situation, Cardoso spoke warmly about the Bafana Bafana winger and revealed the two had stayed in regular contact during the FIFA World Cup.

"Thapelo is a wonderful boy. We like him very much. We exchanged messages throughout the World Cup, and I even tried to help him stay positive," he said.

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With the player's position now firmly in the hands of club management rather than the technical staff, Maseko's next destination remains unconfirmed. Cardoso's comments effectively draw a line under his own involvement in the saga, shifting responsibility for any potential transfer to Sundowns' administration.

As seen in the post below.

Source: Briefly News