Miguel Cardoso Accuses PSL Referees of Targeting Mamelodi Sundowns Stars After Beating AmaZulu FC

• Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso raised serious concerns about referee decisions affecting his players during PSL matches
• Cardoso pointed to a striking gap between Sundowns' yellow card tally and those of their opponents across six league matches
• The Portuguese coach also questioned a disallowed Brayan goal in Sundowns' 5-2 win, calling for officiating to be corrected

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has taken aim at Premier Soccer League referees, accusing them of disproportionately booking his players despite the club's possession-based, disciplined style of play.

Speaking after reviewing his side's disciplinary record, Cardoso expressed clear frustration at the number of cautions his squad had accumulated through the opening weeks of the season.

## Cardoso Breaks Down the Numbers

Six matches into the campaign, Sundowns had already collected 15 yellow cards, a figure the Portuguese coach found difficult to reconcile with a team that controls games through ball possession.

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He laid out a breakdown of the card counts from individual fixtures to make his case. Against AmaZulu, Sundowns received four yellows to their opponents' one. The Golden Arrows clash produced a three-to-one split in favour of the opposition. Marumo Gallants conceded zero cards while Sundowns picked up one. The Kaizer Chiefs match ended four apiece, and Polokwane City also drew level at two each, though Cardoso argued Polokwane should have received a third.

He then widened the lens to the previous season: "Last year we had 53 yellow cards, Pirates had 28, we had four red cards, Pirates had zero red cards."

The accumulation of bookings is not merely a statistical annoyance for Cardoso. Suspended players during a title race carry real consequences, and he was blunt about that risk. "The yellow cards put players out as we go through the season and these matches will speak for the championship."

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## 'Pay Attention to the Way You Target My Players'

Beyond the numbers, Cardoso took the rare step of directly addressing officials in his post-match comments. He stated that referees are too quick to book Sundowns players, even acknowledging that he himself received a yellow card during a match.

"I speak for the referees, pay attention in the way you are easily targeting my players because it's too easy to target my players," he said. "We play positive football, with respect. We're not a bad team or bullies inside the pitch, we want to play the game."

Cardoso also raised a separate officiating complaint, questioning a disallowed goal scored by Brayan in Sundowns' 5-2 victory. He argued the referee was too far from the incident to make a reliable call.

With the title race heating up, the Sundowns coach made his expectation clear: his players should receive the same treatment from officials as any other squad in the division. "The rules are the same for everybody," he said.

Source: Briefly News