‘SuperSport International would like to confirm the sale of its Premier Soccer League (PSL) club, SuperSport United, to Siwelele Football Club (Pty) Ltd,’ read the official statement.
SuperSport United have officially confirmed the sale of their Premier Soccer League (PSL) status to Siwelele Football Club, bringing an end to months of speculation surrounding the future of Matsatsantsa a Pitori.
SuperSport statement
Little is known about the buyers, but United released a statement on Thursday afternoon confirming that the transaction is subject to approval by the league’s Executive Committee.
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The former three-time Premiership champions will cease to exist, in what is a sad day for South African football. The club was originally established in 1994 after M-Net purchased the status of Pretoria City FC.
“SuperSport International would like to confirm the sale of its Premier Soccer League (PSL) club, SuperSport United, to Siwelele Football Club (Pty) Ltd,” read the official statement.
“Following a closed bidding process, Siwelele F.C. was awarded the rights to purchase the three-time Premiership winners, pending approval by the PSL Executive Committee.”
SuperSport CEO Rendani Ramovha said the decision to sell the club forms part of a broader strategic shift for the broadcaster.
“The sale of the club comes as SuperSport makes strategic shifts to allow us to remain the biggest broadcaster in Africa and a leading global competitor,” he said.
“Shifts in the market, as well as the need to innovate in accordance with our core business, have necessitated a focused direction to ensure SuperSport remains the continent’s premier sports content provider and a leader in broadcast innovation.”
‘A rich, winning tradition’
Both parties have stated they will not be making further comments until a final decision is made by the PSL. However, Siwelele F.C. chairman Calvin Le John expressed excitement at the opportunity to take over the Pretoria-based outfit.
“As Siwelele F.C., we are privileged to have been given the responsibility of continuing a rich, winning tradition in the PSL,” he said.
“SuperSport and the MultiChoice Group laid an incredible 30-year foundation that we hope to build upon, should we receive final approval from the PSL Executive Committee.”
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SuperSport will be remembered for winning the league for three successive years from 2007. They have also collected nine domestic cup competitions in their stint in South African topflight football, making them one of the most successful clubs in the PSL era.
