Teko Modise warns Mamelodi Sundowns: We are going backwards amid title pressure

Mamelodi Sundowns legend Teko Modise has delivered a frank assessment of the club’s current situation, suggesting that years of sustained dominance may have masked deeper issues now beginning to surface.

The Brazilians have come under increasing pressure this season, with their grip on the Betway Premiership no longer as secure as in previous campaigns. 

Orlando Pirates, Sekhukhune United and Kaizer Chiefs have all emerged as genuine contenders, an unusual scenario at this stage of the season, where Sundowns would typically have opened up a comfortable points cushion.

Their Caf Champions League form has also raised concerns. Sundowns currently top their group level on five points with second-placed Al Hilal, while DR Congo outfit Saint-Eloi Lupopo sit close behind on four points, leaving little margin for error at the halfway stage.

Modise, a two-time league winner with the Chloorkop-based club and a Caf Champions League and Super Cup winner, echoed concerns shared by many within the Sundowns fraternity. 

“Everyone around us is improving, and guess what? We are going backwards,” Modise said on the club’s podcast.

“I am a student of the game, and everyone I looked up to, individually or as a team, always has a story to tell because they went through a certain patch that ignited them to take their performances and attitudes to the next level.

“As Mamelodi Sundowns, we have been riding a wave of consistency and evolving all the time. We never had a slump that forced us to look at ourselves. The mirrors around us were simply a reflection of who we were.”

Sundowns are chasing a record-extending ninth successive league title and, despite currently leading the standings, their control over their destiny is not as firm as it once was.

The club has undergone several coaching changes in recent years, and with Miguel Cardoso under heavy pressure to deliver — particularly the elusive Champions League title — the internal unrest has only intensified.

Sections of the club’s faithful have openly called for the Portuguese mentor’s departure, with renewed calls for former coach Pitso Mosimane to return. Those frustrations spilled over into criticism of sporting director Flemming Berg, who has been central to key decisions that have divided opinion previously.

The club have come hard in defence of their sporting director and the rest of the technical team following the disruption caused by a few fans at the end of the 2-2 draw against Al Hilal this past weekend.

With pressure mounting across all levels of the club, positive results now appear to be the only remedy.

A crucial Betway Premiership clash against Sekhukhune United at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium tonight, followed by a Champions League trip to Rwanda to face Al Hilal, could prove defining moments for Cardoso and his side.

Modise added that confronting reality is essential if Sundowns are to respond to the tightening gap between themselves and their rivals.

“We never had time to assess whether we were doing the right things because everyone else around us was not doing the right things.

“You could get away with things and still win the league by 13 or 15 points because other teams were not at our level.

“Now we are in a position where challenges are forcing us to look at ourselves, but the problem is that we liked what we used to see in those mirrors, and we do not want to confront who we really are.”