Sundowns have started a culture of paying respect to their supporters after every match, engaging in song and dance regardless of the result on the day.
This has brought new vigour and comradery not only amongst the supporters but also the team itself, and has understandably become a tradition, as is the case with Bloemfontein Celtic.
With tickets selling fast for Chiefs’ Nedbank Cup quarterfinal against Cape Town City at the Mbombela Stadium on Sunday afternoon, a potential capacity crowd could do wonders for the players, according to Cardoso.
“It’s always great to play in front of a capacity crowd, and it’s motivation for us because the fans always urge us to do well,” said Cardoso.
“You know, losing or drawing in front of a crowd like that, they start having doubts and we don’t want to put doubt in our supporters’ heads anymore.
“We want them to come and enjoy games and we want to enjoy it ourselves. If you see when Sundowns play, how they go and enjoy with their fans afterwards – it’s great to see.
“I think that’s also something we need to start doing – interacting with our fans more after games, which shows appreciation to the fans and once we do that, they’ll feel we’re also showing loyalty to them.”
The 30-year-old centre-back also feels the team need to start practicing similar traditions, while he urged Amakhosi supporters to show such love and warmth towards the players.
“We really do. After the games, they go and sing and dance with their fans, who make it nice for them. They join them instead of booing them and chasing them away,” he added.
“That’s what I wish our fans could do with us. If we do get a draw, it’s a result and a point, instead they turn around and wave us away with their hand signals.
“I ask them to rather show us the support, [because] we’re only humans, not robots, and we’re not going to win every game. So, hopefully the fans can turn around and help us out.”