Sundowns coach backs defender Ndamane for crucial matches against TS Galaxy and AS FAR

Timeslive · May 11, 2026 · 596 words · By Mahlatse Mphahlele

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What to know about Sundowns coach backs defender Ndamane for crucial matches against TS Galaxy and AS FAR

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso defended defender Khulumani Ndamane following a series of mistakes, attributing the player's poor form to physical and mental fatigue. The article details the team's current defensive injury crisis and their upcoming fixtures in the league and Champions League final.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

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

What happened

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has backed defender Khulumani Ndamane, who has committed uncharacteristic mistakes recently.

Why it matters

Ndamane caused a penalty in the dying minutes of the 1-1 draw against Stellenbosch FC that cost Sundowns two valuable home points in the race for the championship last month.

Common ground

He was at fault again during the exciting 7-4 win over Siwelele FC, with his mistake leading to Gamphani Lungu’s first goal to make it 3-1 after Sundowns had a good start to the game.

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: Sundowns coach backs defender Ndamane for crucial matches against TS Galaxy and AS FAR?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Sundowns during their last league match of the season against TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/2026-05-11-sundowns-coach-backs-defender-nd…

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “Sundowns during their last league match of the season against TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday”

CORROBORATED

SuperSport and other web results confirm the final league match against TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium was moved to Tuesday, May 12.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024–25 South African Premiership was the 29th consecutive season of the South African Premiership. It was known as the Betway Premiership for sponsorship reasons, after the premature end of the s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024–25_South_African_Premiers…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 South African Premiership is the 30th consecutive season of the South African Premiership. It is known as the Betway Premiership for sponsorship reasons, and also commonly referred to as t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_South_African_Premiers…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Mbombela Stadium is a football and Rugby union all-seater stadium in Mbombela in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It was one of 10 venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and one of 5 newly con…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbombela_Stadium

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “Cardoso has lost Keanu Cupido to a collarbone injury”

VERIFIED

Web search results explicitly mention that Keanu Cupido's injury is creating concern for Mamelodi Sundowns during a crucial stage of the season.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Keanu Gregory Cupido (born 15 January 1998) is a South African soccer player who plays as a defender for Mamelodi Sundowns in the Betway Premiership.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keanu_Cupido

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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 — Group F was one of eight groups in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, an international club soccer tournament hosted in the United States and organized by FIFA. It comprised four teams: Fluminense of Brazi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_FIFA_Club_World_Cup_Group…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Ndamane caused a penalty in the dying minutes of the 1-1 draw against Stellenbosch FC”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (SABC News and The Citizen) confirm the 1-1 draw against Stellenbosch FC and specifically identify Khulumani Ndamane as the player who conceded the penalty.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South Africa national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international football and is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. Nic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_soccer_t…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations was an international football tournament held in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026. The 24 participating national teams were required to register a squad …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Africa_Cup_of_Nations_squ…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sundowns and Stellenbosch FC played to 1-1 draw at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday night.With just minutes remaining, Khulumani Ndamane mistimed a challenge inside the box, bringing down Chumani Butsaka …
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/late-mabasa-penalty-denies…

+ 2 more evidence sources

help

Claim 4: “this one against TS Galaxy on Tuesday will be the third one [match in less than 72 hours]”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching to confirm the match frequency/timing for the TS Galaxy game.

help

Claim 5: “Mothobi Mvala is still not able to play”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for Mothobi Mvala's availability.

info

Claim 6: “He was at fault again during the exciting 7-4 win over Siwelele FC, with his mistake leading to Gamphani Lungu’s first goal”

SINGLE SOURCE

While multiple sources confirm the 7-4 win over Siwelele FC, none of the provided evidence mentions Khulumani Ndamane's specific mistake or Gamphani Lungu's goal.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns returned to winning form in emphatic fashion with a thrilling 7-4 victory over Siwelele FC at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday night.
https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/soccer/local-soccer/leon-net…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso admitted conceding four goals in their thrilling victory over Siwelele took some shine off the win. | soccer.
https://www.sabcsport.com/soccer/news/mixed-feelings-for-mig…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso warns of a lack of balance after the Brazilians conceded four goals in a historic 11-goal thriller against Siwelele FC.
https://thestar.co.za/sport/soccer/2026-05-10-cardoso-frustr…

info

Claim 7: “Grant Kekana is suspended for the first leg against AS FAR at Loftus on Sunday”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant car insurance advertisements and does not mention Grant Kekana or AS FAR.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Get a free car insurance quote online from The General today. Find a variety of auto insurance policies and choose the one that best fits your driving needs.
https://www.thegeneral.com/car-insurance/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Explore comprehensive auto insurance coverage options from State Farm. Get information on policies, discounts, and how to file a claim.
https://www.statefarm.com/insurance/auto

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jan 23, 2026 · Find car insurance quickly by comparing auto insurance quotes online from companies like Progressive, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual and Allstate.
https://www.thezebra.com/car-insurance-quotes/

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Claim 8: “Malibongwe Khoza has been playing DDC football over the past weeks”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (Soccer Laduma, FARPost, and another web result) confirm Malibongwe Khoza has been playing for the DDC side recently.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Malibongwe Khoza has been playing for Mamelodi Sundowns' DStv Diski Challenge side recently.He is competing with players who have been doing well (in the first team), so he doesn't need to crumble. Hi…
https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/psl/mamelodi-sundowns/thabo-n…

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web search NEUTRAL — There have been many contact injuries, and the players have played a lot of football,” Van Rooyen told FARPost when asked about Khoza’s presence in the DDC team. “So, obviously, a few niggles will ari…
https://farpost.co.za/2026/02/16/malibongwe-khoza-drops-to-d…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — South Africa international and Mamelodi Sundowns versatile defender Malibongwe Khoza was part of the club’s DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) team that played in a recent assignment.
https://www.afrik-foot.com/en-za/bafana-bafana-international…

info

Claim 9: “He is the only left-footed centreback that we have”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence consists of irrelevant search results regarding Amazon customer service and does not mention Khulumani Ndamane's footedness or squad position.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Is there a way to get to Amazon's US-based Customer Service? I noticed their Customer Service has been outsourced to India. So far, my experiences with them have been ok, although their English is rat…
https://www.reddit.com/r/amazon/comments/5kumvk/is_there_a_w…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Amazon has like 83,423 products with many of them having used versions for sale. Aunt Tilly's experience with her used television is 100% not going to help you with your experience with your used Gard…
https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/comments/192rd4f/anyon…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 12, 2024 · Amazon promo codes? Amazon discounts and coupons? Hey everyone, We've noticed an increase in requests and questions about Amazon promo codes. Many users have mentioned that the on-site …
https://www.reddit.com/r/GetADiscount/comments/1de4voz/amazo…

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Claim 10: “two-legged Champions League final against AS FAR”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources confirm Mamelodi Sundowns are facing AS FAR Rabat in a two-legged CAF Champions League final.

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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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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Football Club is a women's professional soccer club based in Pretoria, South Africa. The team competes in the SAFA Women's League, the top tier women's football league in Sout…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamelodi_Sundowns_Ladies_F.C.

+ 3 more evidence sources

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.