Mamelodi Sundowns are finalising preparations for their CAF Champions League quarter final first leg against Stade Malien on Friday night in Pretoria, but will be without defender Thapelo Morena.
Head coach Miguel Cardoso confirmed that Morena will not be available for the encounter after sustaining an injury in a recent match. The Portuguese tactician expressed frustration with how the incident was handled, drawing comparisons with a similar situation involving teammate Jayden Adams.
“I don’t know if you saw, but Thapelo Morena will not be available for this match against Malien,” Cardoso said. “Jayden Adams, in the match against Golden Arrows, got a red card for the same action that happened against Orbit with Morena, and he got injured. He’s not available to play. So we don’t have Thapelo Morena in the match or on the bench. But that Orbit player got nothing, so we can continue to play against 11.”
Cardoso added that the club felt the officiating surrounding Morena’s injury was not handled appropriately. “Regarding Thapelo, it was the first time I spoke about a player getting injured because we really felt the approach given in that situation was not proper,” he explained.
Despite the setback, Sundowns remain focused on the crucial continental encounter. The quarter final first leg between Sundowns and Stade Malien is scheduled to kick off at 20:00 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, where the South African champions will be aiming to secure a strong advantage ahead of the return leg.
The post CAFCL : Cardoso Confirms Morena Absence first appeared on Africa Top Sports.
