Cupido ready to step up in Kekana’s absence

Mamelodi Sundowns defender, Keanu Cupido, says he is ready to shoulder the responsibility in Saturday’s CAF Champions League semi-final second leg, in the absence of the suspended Grant Kekana.

Kekana was red-carded in the first leg on Sunday and will miss the return fixture at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

His suspension leaves Cupido as the most experienced option available in central defence, despite having made only eight appearances in the competition for Sundowns.

Cupido acknowledged Kekana’s influence but expressed confidence in the squad’s depth.

“He (Kekana) has been here for years now and has helped us a lot,” said Cupido.

He added that he is ready to provide leadership as Sundowns look to secure a place in the final.

“Then we have Ndamane, very young, very good player. Kegan (Johannes) is also there as well. So, we know that they can fill the shoes of Grant, but they will also need my help because they are not that experienced at this stage of the tournament,” he said.

𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝘾𝘼𝙁 𝙅𝙊𝙐𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙔 𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙐𝙀𝙎 🙌

We’re back at Loftus for the decisive chapter in the #TotalEnergiesCAFCL semi-final 2nd leg 👆

⚽ Mamelodi Sundowns vs ES Tunis
🏆 CAF Champions League
📆 18 April
⏰ 15H00
🏟 Loftus Versfeld
📺 SS 209 & SABC 1
🎟️ Get your… pic.twitter.com/Jsogk3DagZ

— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) April 15, 2026

Written by: Ntsako Mukhari