With Mamelodi Sundowns nearing the end of what was a busy 2025/26 campaign, ex-Brazilian defender and captain Thabo Nthethe suggested that the fixture planners have been unkind to the PSL giants.
As it stands, Sundowns could lose out on claiming their ninth consecutive league title following a damaging 3-2 loss against TS Galaxy on Tuesday night. With Downs completing their 30-match league campaign, second-placed Pirates have two games in hand while they sit three points adrift of the summit.
Amid their commitments in the league, Sundowns will now shift their focus to AS FAR in the first-leg of the CAF Champions League final at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday. With fatigue said to have played a major part in Sundowns struggles in the latter stages of the Betway Prem, Nthethe lamented what he believed was a lack of support from the league.
“That programme of Sundowns is very hectic. It’s not easy being a Sundowns player, but the club management and the technical team are doing well in managing the whole thing,” Nthethe told KickOff.
“Every game the Sundowns players play, they have to go for the kill. You don’t really have time to recover for your next game. The fitness trainer is doing a good job. The foundation coach Pitso Mosimane built is still there.
“Somewhere, somehow, I feel our league and our people don’t support Sundowns that much. But I like the fact that Sundowns don’t complain, and they don’t dwell too much on that.”
