Mamelodi Sundowns finds Club World Cup ‘tough' yet ‘beautiful' challenge
TOUGH CHALLENGE Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso views the Club World Cup as a challenging yet beautiful opportunity for his team to prove their credentials against global giants like Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense. Picture: Backpagepix
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso knows the Club World Cup will be a huge test of his side's credentials and said Monday making it out of the group stage would be "an incredible achievement" as they prepare for their opening game.
"I don't believe there is one single team before the competition that doesn't believe they can make the next stage," Cardoso said when asked about his team's tournament prospects ahead of their Group F clash with Ulsan HD of South Korea.
"Obviously for us it would be an incredible achievement to go through the group stage but before we achieve that we need to get points so we need to play a very complete match tomorrow."
Perennial South African champions Sundowns qualified for FIFA's lucrative new tournament on the back of their record over the last four years in African competitions.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

TimesLIVE
an hour ago
- TimesLIVE
Proteas won public back and put demons to bed: Rassie van der Dussen
Proteas batter Rassie van der Dussen believes that winning the World Test Championship (WTC) at Lord's last week will inspire the South African public to take the Proteas seriously again. He believes the victory will go a long way healing scars for former stars like Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers, who were among many who suffered disappointments in 27 years of near-misses for the national team at major tournaments after South Africa's readmission to international sports in the early 1990s. Cricket in the country also endured a steep downfall in the recent past due to a host of factors, mostly the serious governance issues that plagued Cricket South Africa (CSA) in the early 2020s. The Proteas went from having big sponsors to none, as potential investors sought to distance themselves from the troubled sport. Like the sponsors, interest from the public dwindled. A 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 for South African sport 🥳🇿🇦 #SSCricket | #WTC25 — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 14, 2025 In the last two to three years, administration at CSA, after changes in personnel, has improved. Van der Dussen — who was given a hybrid rather than full-time contract for 2025-26 to spend more time in global T20 competitions and has accepted losing his red-ball place to emerging players — believes the team won the hearts of the public again with their superb victory in a glorious WTC final. South Africa came back from the dead for a five-wicket victory against Australia at Lord's. 'I think it will make people take Proteas cricket seriously again. In the last few years, even though we [the Proteas] have got to [World Cup] semifinals, people always compare cricket and rugby,' Van der Dussen said. 'It's like a cricket is good, but rugby wins World Cups type of thing. "𝐎𝐇𝐇𝐇 𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐀 𝐁𝐀𝐕𝐔𝐌𝐀!" 🥳🎶 #SSCricket | #WTC25 — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 14, 2025 'After all the stuff the CSA board went through in the early 2020s and all that political drama, it's almost like people weren't taking CSA, and the Proteas by extension, seriously. They were like, if you win, it's a bonus. 'Even the narrative leading up to this final, was like, 'Yeah, the Proteas only played the lesser teams and snuck into the final'. It's like, what do you have to do to get the credit you deserve? 'I think this win now is going to do that.' Van der Dussen believes CSA's turnaround has been integral in supporting the work of coach Shukri Conrad getting the Proteas flourishing again. 'They're actually doing some good things at CSA and the Proteas are actually doing some good things. I think it's a culmination of years of, I want to say graft, and years of being honest and getting the right people in the right places; years of good guys putting their head down and putting in the work and keeping believing.' "They always know better than the coaches anyway." 🤣❤️ There's something special about this @ProteasMenCSA outfit 🙌 #SSCricket | #WTC25 — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 14, 2025 After Kyle Verreynne hit the winning runs to secure the Test mace, former players, including Steyn and De Villiers, made emotional appearances around Lord's. Van der Dussen believes that the Proteas winning the WTC is an achievement that not only belongs to the 15 players who were in the squad in London, but also to the likes of Steyn and De Villiers, who helped pave the way for this success. 'This is a feat that goes hand in hand with the song that the Proteas sing: 'The fire stays burning, to those before us, and those to come, we play together as one'. 'The song started in the times when the Proteas fire started with [2003 to 2014 captain] Graeme [Smith] and AB and Dale — that batch. I think it's actually AB who was the main driver behind it. Kagiso Rabada gets by with a little help from his Proteas friends 'We haven't even been playing with each other for a long time and we produce this — I don't think that's normal.' Sport 8 hours ago 'So I want to say it started in 2010, somewhere there. It was really just a song acknowledging, as the words say, the guys who had been there and to the guys who are going to come. 'And just an acknowledgment of that, if you get to sing that song, you're a cog in this engine that keeps going, and it's not yours to keep. It's making the most of it while the sun is shining on you and trying to better the environment and the team and leave the team in a better space. 'But acknowledging there's going to be someone after you too, who's going to pick up the mantle.' 'There were 15 guys there [in the squad at Lord's] but I think it's come such a long way in putting to bed a lot of things the guys have been dealing with and carrying on themselves.' 'Through all those ICC events and all knockout matches we lost, there are guys who feel responsible and this puts to bed that.'


The South African
an hour ago
- The South African
Here's how much money the South African golfers won at the US Open
Home » Here's how much money the South African golfers won at the US Open American J.J. Spaun won the 2025 US Open at Oakmont Country Club in dramatic fashion. Here's how the South Africans in the field fared. Image: Wikimedia Commons American J.J. Spaun won the 2025 US Open at Oakmont Country Club in dramatic fashion on Sunday in what was only his second PGA Tour title – and first major win. He also collected $4.3 million. Runner-up Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) earned $2 322 000 while Norway's Viktor Hovland, who was solo third, picked up $1 459 284. A total of 66 players from the 156-man starting field made the cut – which included one amateur. Those that didn't make the halfway cut which fell on 7-over par, each earned $10 000 (R178 000). Among those players to miss out on the final 36 holes were South African duo Erik van Rooyen (9-over par) and Jacques Kruyswijk (10-over par). Two South Africans – Thriston Lawrence and Christiaan Bezuidenhout – did make the cut – and both finished in a tie for 12th on 6-over par. They each pocketed $348 967 (R6.2 million). For the majors, the US Open hands out slightly more than the Masters, which increased its purse to $21 million in April. The PGA Championship bumped its purse to $19 million for Quail Hollow last month. The Open Championship paid out $17 million at Royal Troon in 2024. FINISH PLAYER EARNINGS 1 J.J. Spaun $4,300,000 2 Robert MacIntyre $2,322,000 3 Viktor Hovland $1,459,284 T4 Cameron Young $876,869 T4 Tyrrell Hatton $876,869 T4 Carlos Ortiz $876,869 T7 Sam Burns $614,423 T7 Jon Rahm $614,423 T7 Scottie Scheffler $614,423 T10 Russell Henley $465,937 T10 Ben Griffin $465,937 T12 Adam Scott $348,967 T12 Thriston Lawrence $348,967 T12 Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson $348,967 T12 Xander Schauffele $348,967 T12 Chris Kirk $348,967 T12 Brooks Koepka $348,967 T12 Christiaan Bezuidenhout $348,967 T19 Rory McIlroy $242,532 T19 Ryan Fox $242,532 T19 Emiliano Grillo $242,532 T19 Victor Perez $242,532 T23 Patrick Reed $161,132 T23 Collin Morikawa $161,132 T23 Jordan Spieth $161,132 T23 Matt Wallace $161,132 T23 Jason Day $161,132 T23 Sam Stevens $161,132 T23 Thomas Detry $161,132 T23 Nick Taylor $161,132 T23 Max Greyserman $161,132 T23 Chris Gotterup $161,132 T33 Tom Kim $113,503 T33 J.T. Poston $113,503 T33 Aaron Rai $113,503 T33 Keegan Bradley $113,503 37 Maverick McNealy $101,379 T38 Taylor Pendrith $90,408 T38 Tony Finau $90,408 T38 Matt Fitzpatrick $90,408 T38 Marc Leishman $90,408 T42 Hideki Matsuyama $72,943 T42 Andrew Novak $72,943 T42 Trevor Cone $72,943 T42 Si Woo Kim $72,943 T46 Niklas Norgaard $56,944 T46 Daniel Berger $56,944 T46 Rasmus Højgaard $56,944 T46 Jhonattan Vegas $56,944 T50 Ryan McCormick $48,101 T50 Michael Kim $48,101 T50 Mackenzie Hughes $48,101 T50 Adam Schenk $48,101 T50 Ryan Gerard $48,101 T55 Justin Hastings (a) $0 T55 Laurie Canter $46,081 T57 Sungjae Im $45,423 T57 Denny McCarthy $45,423 T59 Harris English $44,984 T59 Brian Harman $44,984 T61 Jordan Smith $43,445 T61 James Nicholas $43,445 T61 Johnny Keefer $43,445 T64 Cam Davis $42,351 T64 Matthieu Pavon $42,351 66 Philip Barbaree, Jr. $41,692 Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.

IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Letter to the editor: Salute to Temba Bavuma, people's champion
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma holds the ICC World Test Championship Mace as he celebrates with teammates after victory on day four of the ICC World Test Championship cricket final match between Australia and South Africa. Image: GLYN KIRK / AFP IN A POST match interview after the test match triumph, national cricket captain Temba Bavuma remarked that he is more than a black cricketer. To be recognized more than a black cricketer is special. Temba Bavuma you are enough. Temba Bavuma you are beyond people's imaginations and inferiority complexes. Temba Bavuma you are a special human being. The national youth commission act of 1996 defines young people in South Africa between the ages of 14 and 35. The youth of 1976 had to struggle and sacrifice for their rights and privileges. We honour their legacy, tenacity and vision. The right and dignity to learn in any language should forever be a platform for destiny and not a platform of destruction. History portrays the 1976 youth protesting for equality and freedom. As a young person Temba Bavuma had to similarly protest through his cricket ability for the God given right to shine. Despite the trappings and limitations bestowed upon him directly and indirectly by society and the racial legacy of apartheid, Bavuma stood tall with hope arising evermore. The truth however is that there are many Temba Bavumas still fighting, protesting quietly waiting, working, dreaming for their moment. Let us not be the barriers that limit the potential of young people who are more than ready to shine under the African sun. History cannot repeat itself. The youth of 1976 fought for better. The youth of 1976 died so that freedom can not only be imagined but lived. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Let us not be the gatekeepers of people's dreams and ideals, let us give young people especially an opportunity to rise up beyond our fears. The future and best of South Africa is here and lives amongst us. Young people, we acknowledge you, we recognise you, we see you. Young people, you are our champions. Rise up and be counted. Hope is rising! Steven - John Bam | Southfield