SuperSport CEO: I told Thapelo Maseko not to join Sundowns!

The 20-year-old put pen to paper on a lucrative long-term contract with the Brazilians earlier this month in a cash deal, with midfielder Grant Magerman and striker Etiosa Ighodaro moving in the opposite direction. 

Magerman joins SuperSport permanently following a loan spell last season, while Nigerian international Ighodaro will return to Chloorkop next year. 

Although the transaction benefitted Matsatsantsa both financially and helped improve their squad depth, Matthews revealed he warned Maseko against moving to their Tshwane rivals so soon. 

“Yes, it would have been stunning and amazing to keep Maseko for another year, I wanted to keep him. I don’t think it was a good move for Maseko – and I told Maseko [that] I don’t think it’s a good move,” the SuperSport boss explained. 

“I don’t think he’s going to get the game time at Sundowns that he got for me [a total 25 matches, four goals and two assists].”

SABC Sport first reported interest in the player from Belgian topflight side KV Westerlo, who made three bids in attempts to convince SuperSport to sell Maseko when the transfer window opened. 

The Premier Soccer League (PSL)  side rejected the offers in favour of selling to their crosstown rivals for an amount said to be a multimillion figure. 

“I believe the player has to look at his life and say how does this contract change his life – and it changed his life to a really huge extent for him and his family, and it changed our club to a huge extent,” Matthews added. 

“I was able to bring in six players off the back of it. Westerlo would not have paid Maseko what Sundowns paid. The money I got from Sundown was, honestly, marginally better, not greatly better."

"I would have preferred Westerlo because I would have kept 15% of the onward sale – a player like Maseko, if you look at Lyle Foster’s trajectory, could be worth 10 million euros [nearly R200-million] and 15% of that is R30-million odd. There are Saudi Arabia clubs coming in now and offering more money than Sundowns.” 

As a parting shot, Matthews believes Maseko’s chances of getting a transfer abroad from Downs are incredibly slim.  

“I told him if he goes to Sundowns he’s not going to get sold. Barcelona can come for you, they are not going sell you – they don’t need the money. He belongs to Sundowns and they are powerful enough to keep him,” he said.