Nthethe implores Cardoso to keep Ndamane-Cupido pairing

Sowetan · May 20, 2026 · 334 words · By Neville Khoza

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What to know about Nthethe implores Cardoso to keep Ndamane-Cupido pairing

With Grant Kekana set to return for Mamelodi Sundowns against AS FAR in the CAF Champions League final return leg in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday after serving his suspension, ex-Downs player Thabo Nthethe says the coach should continue with Khulumani Ndamane…

Claims checked 6

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Kekana missed Sundowns’ two Champions League matches after he received a red card in the semifinal first leg against Esperance.

Common ground

This forced coach Miguel Cardoso to use Cupido, who played with a shoulder injury in the first leg, partnered with Ndamane.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Nthethe implores Cardoso to keep Ndamane-Cupido pairing?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that This forced coach Miguel Cardoso to use Cupido, who played with a shoulder injury in the first leg, partnered with Ndamane?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.sowetan.co.za/sport/2026-05-20-nthethe-implores-cardoso-to-keep-ndam…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 3

check_circle Corroborated 3

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Claim 1: “This forced coach Miguel Cardoso to use Cupido, who played with a shoulder injury in the first leg, partnered with Ndamane.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim is irrelevant, discussing a singer named Miguel and a general Wikipedia entry for the 2026 final, with no mention of Cupido or Ndamane's shoulder injury.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 CAF Champions League final is the two-legged final of the 2025–26 CAF Champions League, the 62nd edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_CAF_Champions_League_fina…

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web search NEUTRAL — By connecting, you agree to receive news and updates from Miguel. For more information on how we use your data, please see the links below.
https://www.officialmiguel.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Miguel Jontel Pimentel (born October 23, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer, who specializes in contemporary and alternative R&B. Raised in San Pedro, California, he began purs…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_(singer)

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 2: “Kekana missed Sundowns’ two Champions League matches after he received a red card in the semifinal first leg against Esperance.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Goal.com and Kick Off) confirm Grant Kekana received a red card in the first leg against Esperance and was suspended for subsequent matches.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as the Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria, Gauteng that plays in the Premiership, the first tier of South…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamelodi_Sundowns_F.C.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 CAF Champions League final were the final matches of the 2024–25 CAF Champions League, the 61st edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_CAF_Champions_League_fina…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Nthethe, who was a crucial pillar in Sundowns’ defence when they won the title in 2016”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web sources confirm Thabo Nthethe was a defender for Mamelodi Sundowns and was part of the team that won the CAF Champions League title in 2016.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Thabo Benett Nthethe (born 3 October 1984 in Bloemfontein) is a retired South African football defender. He represented South Africa and played for Mamelodi Sundowns and was the captain of Bloemfontei…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thabo_Nthethe

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Each team in the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup had to name a 23-man squad (three of whom must be goalkeepers). Injury replacements were allowed until 24 hours before the team's first match.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_FIFA_Club_World_Cup_squad…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bloemfontein ( BLOOM-fon-tayn; Afrikaans: [ˈblumfɔntəin]), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloemfontein

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Masandawana heading to Morocco with a slender 1-0 lead”

CORROBORATED

The claim is confirmed by a cross-reference from Sowetan and multiple web search results (Soccer Laduma and others) stating Sundowns lead 1-0 heading into the second leg in Morocco.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns may only carry a 1-0 lead into the second leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League final, but the statistics from Sunday night’s clash against FAR Rabat highlighted just how dom…
https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/psl/mamelodi-sundowns/key-sta…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sundowns dominated the pitch but squandered multiple opportunities to widen their lead during a dominant second-half surge. Colombian forward Brayan Leon uncharacteristically missed two clear chances,…
https://thesudantimes.com/africa/aubrey-modiba-secures-win-f…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso hopes his side can get the job done in Morocco.Sundowns are just one match away from winning the CAF Champions League, having beaten AS FAR 1–0 in the first leg …
https://capeargus.co.za/sport/soccer/psl/2026-05-19-miguel-c…

+ 1 more evidence source

verified

Claim 5: “Grant Kekana set to return for Mamelodi Sundowns against AS FAR in the CAF Champions League final return leg in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While evidence confirms Grant Kekana is a Sundowns player and that Sundowns are playing AS FAR in the final, there is no specific evidence in the provided results confirming his return for the second leg in Rabat.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2023–24 was Mamelodi Sundowns' 28th consecutive season in the South African Premier Division.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023–24_Mamelodi_Sundowns_F.C.…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Grant Kekana (born 31 October 1992) is a South African soccer player who plays as a defender for Mamelodi Sundowns in the Premier Soccer League.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Kekana

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Cardoso said recently that Ndamane is suffering from fatigue after costly errors in domestic league matches”

CORROBORATED

Three separate web search results explicitly state that coach Miguel Cardoso attributed Khulumani Ndamane's errors to fatigue.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has addressed Khulumani Ndamane’s challenges at the Tshwane giants following a pair of costly errors that have marred the defender’s recent performances.
https://farpost.co.za/2026/05/10/cardoso-addresses-ndamane-c…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has backed defender Khulumani Ndamane, who has committed uncharacteristic mistakes recently.Asked about Ndamane’s recent underwhelming performances, Cardoso defe…
https://www.sundaytimes.timeslive.co.za/sport/2026-05-11-sun…

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web search NEUTRAL — Khulamani Ndamane's errors are as a results of fatigue. This is according to his coach at Mamelodi Sundowns Miguel Cardoso. Ndamane joined the Brazilians in January from TS galaxy and was thrown into.
https://dailysports.net/news/miguel-cardoso-cites-fatigue-as…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.