Mamelodi Sundowns Fans Given Verdict on Who Is at Fault for Champions League Elimination
- Mamelodi Sundowns have been eliminated from the CAF Champions League in a shock result at Loftus Versfeld
- Angolan side Wiliete advanced on away goals after holding the defending champions to a 1-1 draw
- A football analyst in a chat with Briefly News has pointed the finger at CAF rather than the players or coach Miguel Cardoso
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Mamelodi Sundowns' reign as CAF Champions League champions has come to an abrupt and stunning end, with the Pretoria giants failing to reach the group stage for the first time in 12 years.
The Brazilians' title defence was derailed on Friday night at Loftus Versfeld, where Angolan club Wiliete held them to a 1-1 draw in the second leg of the final group stage qualifier. With the aggregate score level, it was Wiliete who advanced courtesy of the away goals rule, booking their spot in the group phase at Sundowns' expense.
The result is a significant blow for a side that has otherwise been in impressive form this season. Sundowns currently sit at the top of the Betway Premiership standings and have already lifted two trophies, the MTN8 and the CAF African-Asian-Pacific Cup, suggesting the squad's heavy fixture load may have taken its toll at the worst possible moment.
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Football analyst Moses Martins shared his perspective on the elimination in an exclusive interview with Briefly News, offering a view that shifts responsibility away from those in the dressing room and onto the touchline.
"Neither Mamelodi Sundowns players nor the coach, Miguel Cardoso, is to blame for the exit; I would blame CAF for this," he said.
Martins argued that the competition's structure put the defending champions at an unfair disadvantage, saying: "Sundowns, being the defending champions, shouldn't be playing the preliminary stages; they should be in the group phase automatically."
He added that the volume of matches across multiple competitions created conditions that were always likely to catch up with the squad. "They are playing so many competitions already, it's obvious that the players would fatigue," Martins said.
The elimination leaves Sundowns without a place in African club football's most prestigious competition for the first time in over a decade, a sobering outcome for a club that had been widely expected to challenge for back-to-back continental honours.
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Source: Briefly News
