The night air in Algiers was thick with anger as Mamelodi Sundowns fans pushed up against the team bus on Tuesday. Their target was head coach Miguel Cardoso, and they made sure he heard them after a painful 3-1 loss to USM Alger in the CAF Champions League group stage.

Videos flooding social media show fans yelling "Cardoso must go" right at the Portuguese coach as he climbed onto the bus, his kit bag on his shoulder and his eyes fixed straight ahead. The fans who made the trip, along with thousands more watching from lounges and taverns back in Tshwane, are fed up. They called the performance soft and tactically clueless.

Sundowns Communications Director Thulani Thuswa turned down a request for comment on the fan unrest. Instead, he pointed reporters to a short club statement that called the result a "disappointing result" and promised a full review of the squad before the next continental match. None of the coaching staff spoke to the cameras when the final whistle blew, so supporters walked away with no answers.

Cardoso took over as Sundowns head coach in July 2024, after Rhulani Mokwena left the club. He inherited a squad packed with continental talent. The 48-year-old arrives with an impressive background in Portuguesa football, but his time in charge has come under growing fire from a fanbase used to deep runs in Africa's top club competition under earlier coaches. Tuesday's defeat has left Sundowns in a tight spot in the group table.

Outside the stadium, amid the shouting and shoving, one picture said it all. A Sundowns fan in a faded yellow jersey pressed his palm flat against the bus window as it pulled away. He stared through his own reflection at the coaching staff sitting inside, not blinking and not looking away.

It is still unclear whether the Sundowns leadership will stand by Cardoso for the rest of the CAF campaign or respond to the fans' anger. The next group game is coming up fast, and there is no room left for more slip-ups. But the bigger question on every fan's mind tonight is simple: does the man driving this bus even know where he is going?

Drop your take in the comments. Should Cardoso stay or should he go?

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