Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has blamed the congested fixture schedule for his teams faltering Betway Premiership title defence.
The Brazilians seemed destined to win a record ninth consecutive championship after recording 10 victories on the trot since the start of the year.
But their CAF Champions League campaign had a knock-on effect domestically as Bafana Ba Style were forced to play their final seven top-flight matches in the space of just 21 days.
