The Gauteng Development League (GDL) commissioner, Muzi Shangase, fears that the sale of SuperSport United could have deeper repercussions on development football, not only in Gauteng but also throughout the country.
For three decades, Matsatsantsa a Pitori, as a club, has had a massive impact on South African football, both in the professional space and in developmental football.
Who can forget the golden era of coach Gavin Hunt in the late 2000s, when he took a relatively unknown group of players and turned them into world beaters in the blue and white colours of SuperSport United?
Development structures
Hunt and his young side went on to register three league titles in a row, making light work of what is a fiercely competitive Premier Soccer League (PSL), a league that features gigantic clubs such as Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns.
From that point onwards, SuperSport United prided itself on being one of the few clubs in South African top-flight football to use its development structures to produce quality footballers.
More recently, the club’s graduate, Ronwen Williams, is a sparkling example of the impressive work that the SuperSport United development structures have done.
Now captain of the Bafana Bafana team and that of one of the most successful clubs, Mamelodi Sundowns, Williams was scouted by SuperSport United in the Eastern Cape. This was a display of dedication from the club’s side to find talent in disadvantaged areas.
Other top players that were unearthed by Matsatsantsa are Kermit Erasmus, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Aubrey Modiba, Thapelo Maseko, Grant Kekana and Brad Grobler, to mention but a few.
Ronwen Williams
Williams has gone on to be nominated for the Yashin Award in 2024, narrowly missing out on the award after being impressive for Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana in the Africa Cup of Nations.
With the PSL status of SuperSport United being sold, there has been a concern that the club’s development structures may take a hit that may be felt by the entire country in the near future.
Over the past four to five weeks, the SuperSport United under-19 side has been losing uncharacteristically in the GDL. It lost four consecutive games, a clear indication of the development structures being negatively impacted by the club sale.
Shangase told SportsBoom that it is not yet clear whether the club will withdraw from the GDL this season. He painted a vivid picture of just how big an impact the club sale could have on development football in the country. And he cited that losing SuperSport United would be a massive loss.
“In terms of development structures, SuperSport United have not communicated with us in terms of the setup and what their plan is,” Shangase told SportsBoom.co.za.
“My understanding is that they will keep the development for the season as SuperSport United. And moving forward, there’s a possibility of a name change and a possibility of new ownership. So, for now, the league won’t be affected.”
The impact of the club sale
Shangase fears that the sale of the club would mean that the talents that are in disadvantaged communities, the talents that SuperSport United scouts spotted and developed into world-class footballers, would now go unnoticed.
After all, this is the same SuperSport United that is responsible for star players including Khanyisa Mayo, who now plays for Algerian Club CR Belouizdad. He is among many other names that have gone on to make a big impact in professional football, both locally and abroad.
“To lose SuperSport United would be a massive loss to the country. SuperSport United is the soul of youth football. They can tap into areas around the country that have been difficult to tap into because of their scouting system and then polish them for the professional setup,” Shangase added.
“They managed to find Ronwen Williams, who was in the Eastern Cape. So, they were able to tap into those players. And hence I’m saying they contributed massively to South African football.”
