Cardoso came under mounting pressure after Sundowns endured a poor run of results, with some supporters calling for the Portuguese coach to be dismissed. However, Motsepe believes removing him at that stage would have been an impulsive decision that could have changed the course of the campaign.
The chairman argued that Sundowns had to assess developments beyond their immediate results. While the team needed to make tactical and personnel adjustments, Motsepe could see encouraging signs in their performances.
Those indications became particularly clear at the FIFA Club World Cup, where Sundowns played with freedom and courage under Cardoso. Motsepe felt the team was becoming stronger without moving away from its established footballing principles.
"Can we really release somebody in this short space, in this bumpy period, after he took us to the final of the Champions League which we hadn't been in the past nine years?" Motsepe told Mamelodi Sundowns TV.
"Do we let go of somebody who allowed our players to express themselves? And to play with such bravery at the FIFA Club World Cup, if we're just going through this period right now?
"Football is a passion-driven business, we live and die by the passion of the game.
"But it's very important sometimes, to remove yourself and assess the bigger picture.
"If we had let go of coach Miguel as you say at that time, who knows if we would have gotten the Champions League? Or the Asia-Africa-Pacific Cup?"
"Maybe we had not been playing as openly as we had done in previous seasons, but where we adapted in openness, we strengthened in our robustness," he added.
"That was a beautiful lesson we had to learn."
Cardoso's contrasting first two seasons also provided important context. He guided Sundowns to the Betway Premiership title in his first campaign, although they suffered defeat to Pyramids FC in the CAF Champions League final.
His second season brought continental success as Sundowns ended a decade-long wait for the Champions League trophy, but they surrendered their domestic supremacy to Orlando Pirates.
