End of the road for SuperSport United after sale of club confirmed

JOHANNESBURG - One of South Africa’s most consistent clubs, SuperSport United, will become extinct before the start of the new season after its sale was confirmed on Thursday.

After months of speculation on the future of the Spartans, the club’s owner, SuperSport International, revealed they had awarded the rights to purchase its stake to Siwelele Football Club (Pty) Ltd, who have ambitions to revive the famed Bloemfontein Celtic Football Club.

The deal, pending the approval of the Premier Soccer League’s executive committee, will see the Pretoria-based club rebranded as Siwelele FC.

SuperSport CEO Rendani Ramovha indicated that they had lost the appetite for the football club and wanted broadcasting to be their main priority.

"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. Shifts in the market, as well as the need to innovate in accordance with our core business, have necessitated focused direction to allow SuperSport to remain the best sports content provider on the continent and a leader in broadcast innovation," said Ramovha.

SuperSport United has been an ever-present since the PSL was established in 1996 and is one of only four clubs that have competed in every season, in their original form, including Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns. In their 31-year history, United won 14 trophies, including three consecutive Premiership titles in the late 2000s. 

Big clubs disappearing from the country’s football landscape is not a new concept. Bloemfontein Celtic was sold to Shauwn Mkhize and became Royal AM in 2021. The new club only survived for three years and has since been expelled from the PSL. 

In 2020, 99-year-old Bidvest Wits, formerly Wits University, was sold and rebranded to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC and then again to Marumo Gallants before the club was relegated. Gallants' owners then bought out the owners of Moroka Swallows and will take part in only their second season in the 2025/26 edition of the Betway Premiership.

The loss of SuperSport United could possibly be felt throughout the country as it was a club renowned for developing talent such as Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams, midfielder Teboho Mokoena and defender Aubrey Modiba, while the next crop of stars destined for big things include Ime Okon and Neo Rapoo.

What will become of their development structures is unclear at this point.

Meanwhile, Siwelele FC chairperson, Calvin Le John, hopes they’ll be able to make the most of the foundation laid by Supersport United in the past.

"As Siwelele FC, we are privileged to have been given the responsibility of continuing with a rich winning tradition in the PSL. SuperSport and the MultiChoice Group laid an incredible 30-year platform that we wish to build upon," said Le John.