With more South African highly-rated players such as Teboho Mokoena, Ronwen Williams and Khuliso Mudau of Mamelodi Sundowns not yet going overseas but remaining in the PSL, former Brazilians striker Katlego Mphela has explained why.
The likes of Mokoena and Williams were expected to move overseas in the off-season, after their outstanding performances, for both Masandawana and Bafana Bafana.
However, the SuperSport United academy graduates instead signed new long-term contracts at the Tshwane giants and although Mudau was linked with moves to the English Premier League and France Ligue 1, he has remained at Chloorkop for at least another season.
Moves such Shandre Campbell joining Club Brugge's reserve team Club NXT after one good campaign for SuperSport, instead of joining one of the big teams, are becoming rare, after a player like Thapelo Maseko preferred Masandawana instead of Europe after he was signed from Matsatsantsa.
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Mphela, who made his professional breakthrough in Europe before he came to the PSL, says the personal tax for a foreign player in Europe and the quality of living in South Africa, is the biggest motivator for SA players to choose staying in the Premiership.
"Because you pay me R50 that side and you take R25, you understand? That's why you'd be asking why South African players don't want to go to Europe, I mean now you have Betway throwing almost a billion [rands] in the league," Mphela said on Smash Sports YouTube Channel, explaining his decision to join SuperSport instead of sticking it out at French outfit Strasbourg.
"To be honest maybe you have top ten teams that pay well, you are home, you have family, South Africa is nice man, haha. Besides the fun of night clubs and chisanyama, I'm just saying you can go to the mall, [you have] everything in this country. You can have a nice car, nice house, and we have good suburbs.
"So people want to compare West African players and South African players, it's not the same. Go to West Africa, it's a different story, there's no malls, every building has bullet holes, it's a mess, there's no robots. So they [West African players] go there [to Europe] to survive, we go there, they don't play you, [You say] 'Ah I'll play for Chiefs, Sundowns, I'll still play [CAF] Champions League…," the former Bafana Bafana striker added.
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The big money at Sundowns in particular has seen players such Arthur Sales, Lucas Ribeiro Costa, Tashreeq Matthews, Kobamelo Kodisang joining the club from Europe.
