The report says Portugal will produce its second African club champion coach after the CAF Champions League final second leg between AS FAR and Mamelodi Sundowns in Rabat on May 24, but both Portuguese managers involved say their successes in Africa are not receiving proper recognition at home.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso told ESPN that football circles in Europe, and particularly in Portugal, often fail to appreciate the standard of the CAF Champions League and the significance of accomplishments there. He described that lack of understanding as a national shortcoming and stressed his pride in the personal and professional growth he has enjoyed while coaching in Africa.
The report notes that Manuel José, who led Al Ahly to four CAF Champions League titles, is the competition’s most successful coach, yet Cardoso argued that even José’s legacy is not fully acknowledged in Portugal. Cardoso has twice been a runner-up in the competition, once with Espérance de Tunis and once with Sundowns, and he is guiding Sundowns into a second successive final against an opponent he admires.
AS FAR coach Alexandre Santos echoed Cardoso’s remarks after the first leg, saying Portuguese media contact can be limited and that attention has only recently begun to grow for a new generation of coaches working in Africa. Santos recalled his time at Petro de Luanda, when his team beat Sundowns in the 2021-22 CAF Champions League quarter-finals, and also referenced later meetings between the clubs in other continental competitions.
On the field, Sundowns lead the tie 1-0 following the first leg at Loftus Versfeld, where Aubrey Modiba scored from a free kick. AS FAR missed chances to secure an away goal while Sundowns failed to extend their advantage on several occasions. Cardoso took charge of Sundowns in December 2024, and per the report both teams enter the second leg with realistic hopes of winning what would be a second African title for the victor and a historic moment for Portuguese coaching in African football.
