Sundowns, SuperSport have until the end of the weekend to register extra players for Caf duties

Both Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United have until Sunday night to register extra players for their remaining matches in this year’s African club competitions with the two South African clubs each having three available slots.

Confederation of African Football regulations allow clubs to register a maximum of 30 players for the annual competition with a minimum 23 to be registered before the start at the beginning of the year and the balance in a mid-year registration top-up window‚ that closes on Sunday‚ August 5.

If the clubs chose to register all 30 before the competition kick off‚ they are entitled to do so.

But then they get no chance to add numbers in mid-year.

Once a player is registered he cannot be replaced‚ even if he moves clubs during the competition.

Both Sundowns and SuperSport registered 27 players in January and so are entitled to just three top ups‚ which they must complete by Sunday night.

But in order to be registered with CAF they must first be registered to play in the Premier Soccer League‚ which poses a problem for the African champions after the signing on Tuesday of Ghana World Cup goalkeeper Razak Brimah.

Sundowns already have five foreigners contracted to the club – Leonard Castro (Colombia)‚ Fares Hachi (Algeria)‚ Ricardo Nascimento (Brazil) and the Ivory Coast pair of Bangaly Soumaharo and Yannick Zakri – and cannot have more in their 2017-18 PSL campaign.

One of these players will have to be sacrificed in the PSL registration process‚ which only closes at the end of the month‚ if Brimah is to be brought onto their books.

Whoever is then de-registered is then unavailable to compete in the rest of this year’s African Champions League.

Sundowns also cannot register Cuthbert Malajila and Mogakolodi Ngele‚ who are back at the club after the completion of their loan spell at Bidvest Wits.

Both are cup-tied after Wits registered them for this year’s Champions League before they were eliminated in the earlier rounds.

Also‚ of the players Sundowns registered at the start of the year‚ Keegan Dolly has already gone to Montpellier in France and Teko Modise to Cape Town City.

Sundowns have the numbers 9‚ 17 and 30 available for the rest of their Champions League campaign‚ which resume with the two-legged quarter-final tie against Wydad Casablanca next month.

SuperSport United are to fill their three remaining berths with new signings Prince Dube and Siyabonga Nhlapo and the junior international Sipho Mbule‚ who is in the South African national team squad for the CHAN-2018 qualifier against Zambia next weekend.

SuperSport play against Zesco United of Zambia in the African Confederation Cup quarter-final.

SuperSport have lost Mario Booysen‚ Michael Boxall‚ Michael Morton and Boalefa Pule from their list of registered players. All have left the club in recent weeks. - TimesLIVE