It has become customary over the last five seasons or so for everyone to label Mamelodi Sundowns the PSL's unofficial 'career destroyers'. This is because of a pattern that has emerged, where almost every transfer window, Sundowns make a number of high profile signings, which see many talented players with seemingly bright futures arriving at Chloorkop, only to be tossed aside and forgotten in underachieving campaigns.
The recent transfer window was no different, following the 17 new faces at Patrice Motsepe's club! The same madness is expected to continue in the January transfer window, if the club's reputation is anything to go by.
'Signdowns' and 'Moneylody Signdoms' are just two of the names coined by opposition fans in reference to Sundowns' signing sprees in each new transfer window. I sometimes wonder though whether these names have been thought through. Are they coined out of jealousy, is it just banter among supporters or is it just a case of jumping on the bandwagon without a long hard look at the situation and seeing it for what it is?
No one seems to care to ask themselves this very critical question: Why do players and agents continue to agree to sign for Sundowns when so many players' careers have suffered because of lack of regular game time there?
The answer is simple. Agents stand to make huge commissions by taking their players to Chloorkop and the players are guaranteed massive paydays and no one has a problem with that when signing on the dotted line and posing for the picture while holding the new team shirt.
However, once reality hits home that around 50 talented players are vying for just 11 starting jerseys, the same agents and players are unhappy with the limited game time and in many cases start badmouthing the club. The joke is that, very often, those very same agents will have gone through the same problem with different players before at Sundowns, and yet nothing stops them from doing it again and again. Some even go on to renew their players' contracts at Sundowns despite the players being disgruntled.
And yet, in our Soccer-Laduma interviews, players keep telling us they are joining Sundowns because they want to 'face new challenges and win things' with the Brazilians. Do these players remember the last time Sundowns won any major silverware? Have they been living under a rock? Have these players not heard the same garbage from their predecessors? Moroka Swallows finished second two seasons ago and won the MTN8 this past season. Platinum Stars finished second last season. How many players have joined them for new challenges and to win things? When money is your motivation, often you make the wrong choices. It's as simple as that.
Do Sundowns use underhanded tactics or force players to sign with them? Certainly not! It's time for agents and players to own their circumstances at Sundowns or simply to make better decisions.
Haven't you learnt anything from Mulomowandau Mathoho, who stood his ground on his future even after Bloemfontein Celtic and Sundowns had agreed terms for his services? The towering defender turned down a lucrative Downs offer for regular game time at Kaizer Chiefs.
Even a delegation of Sundowns officials, who travelled to Venda in an attempt to get the player's parents to convince him to sign, came back with their tails between their legs. I think there was more to Mathoho senior chasing the 'light-skinned' guy and his colleagues out of his house than them having interrupted the family while they were watching Muvhango, as one of our readers cheekily commented on our website when we broke the story.
Mathoho carefully assessed the situation and realised that he stood a better chance of game time at Chiefs than at the star-studded Sundowns, considering the sizes of the two squads at the time. He prioritised his career over his bank balance! Fast forward to today and Mathoho is a regular feature at both Chiefs and Bafana Bafana. He may not be as rich as he would've been had he chosen to become Motsepe's employee, but would he be as successful? Would he have the League and Nedbank Cup winners' medals around his neck now?
Sundowns will continue to recruit as many players as possible, in their quest to 'conquer the PSL and then Africa'. And rightly so. It's the club's job to try to bring the best talent to the club for their supporters. If they can afford to pay a squad of 50 players, why not? However, if you are one of those players that sign for them, remember that you might be 49th in the pecking order. So think long and hard before you get confused by the cell phone number figures on that contract. Think long and hard about whether you want short-term gain for long-term pain. If your agent is happy to cash in on your services and you're also happy to top up your bank account, don't cry foul when things don't work out the way you planned.
On top of that, the huge money Motsepe's Sundowns pay in transfer fees to other PSL clubs brings much needed money into the game and also benefits the other clubs. If anyone should be complaining, it should be Motsepe and his club, but they are not.
By Vuyani Joni
Follow Vuyani on Twitter: @VeeJay14
