Hunt says Sundowns have weakened the PSL with their buying power

SuperSport United coach Gavin Hunt says Mamelodi Sundowns’ spending power has weakened the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and hopes this will be looked at in the future.

Sundowns have been dominating the SA football transfer market for the better part of the last decade with an unprecedented run of five successive league championship wins.

Last season they took their dominance to another level when they completed a clean sweep of trophies by winning the DStv Premiership, MTN8 and Nedbank Cup with no real challenge from any team.

Many have credited Sundowns’ buying power for their success as they get almost every player they want and Hunt agrees with that assertion.

Sundowns have at least three extremely talented players in almost each and every position.

“I think it (Sundowns’ spending power) has weakened SA football because you’ve got a team so strong that has got such a strong bench,” Hunt said.

“That nature of this type of business is obviously financial and I think even Pirates and Chiefs will struggle to compete against them.

“I think it has weakened the league in that perspective, but obviously they have other agendas to do well in Africa (Caf Champions League). So you can’t really say too much,” he said.

“But certainly the gap is bigger and on any given day it can be very difficult to be on that level of being close to them.”

Hunt, who has won the league title four times with SuperSport and Bidvest Wits, believes something has to be done to make the PSL more competitive.

“With the team we had at Wits we were the closest competition to them over the last five/six years and they would have been but that team has disintegrated,” Hunt said.

“Those types of things weaken the league, no doubt about it, but they do what they do and nobody complains about it. Maybe something down the line needs to be looked at.”

Sundowns will begin their MTN8 title defence against Hunt’s SuperSport at Tuks Stadium in Pretoria on Sunday (6pm)

Hunt will not be able to select goalkeeper Ricardo Goss, Grant Margeman and Thabang Sibanyoni as they are on loan from Sundowns due to an agreement between the clubs.

The Brazilians have bolstered their championship-winning squad with goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, Sipho Mbule, Bongani Zungu, Chilean international Marcelo Allende and Ethiopian international Abubeker Nasir.

Zungu is working on his fitness and expected to play a huge role for them in the midfield and Sundowns are also awaiting the imminent arrival of Moroccan defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil.

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