Mamelodi Sundowns' qualification to the FIFA Club World Cup could see them compete with leagues such as the MLS for players after Tashreeq Matthews' agent Lance Davids revealed why they chose the club over USA outfits.
There has been a spotlight put on the financial benefits of Sundowns qualifying for the inaugural 2026 Club World Cup, with over R1 billion guaranteed for reaching the group stage and a significant increase if they reach the next rounds.
However, in addition to the prestige, the Brazilians would also gain bargaining weight when pursuing players, who have options to go to Europe or America, as the Major League Soccer (MLS) grows in popularity and commercially.
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A recent report by Sportico listed 20 MLS clubs in the top 50 most valuable clubs in the world, the most from any league, with the top 10 featuring only European giants.
After a brilliant 2022/23 season at Swedish top flight side IK Sirius, where Matthews had 20 goal contributions in the league, with 10 goals and 10 assists, there were clubs in Europe and MLS that were also interested in the former Borussia Dortmund attacker.
Matthews' agent Davids says Sundowns' qualification for the Club World Cup shows the 23-year-old did not make a bad choice.
"Moving back to South Africa, everyone thought it to be a back step, but I don't think it was. If you look at Sundowns, they are the best in the continent and have now qualified for the Club World Cup. He would still be on his edge, doing his best against top European teams," Davids said on 947's MSW.
"Tash did well in Sweden. There were options. Sundowns, yes, they are playing in the South African league, but if you look at the way they play, [it] is more European. I watched them when they were in Holland (for pre-season), they were going toe-to-toe with the best teams in Holland.
"If you look at the games they are playing, they are playing over 50 games a season and with these new tournaments coming in, it will only be good for him."
Davids admitted that interest from the MLS was serious, but they let Matthews make an informed decision after presenting pros and cons on the table.
"100 percent (there was interest from MLS). Don't get me wrong, you can't compare Sundowns with one of these MLS teams. Everyone is talking about finance, finance is important, but at the end of the day, where is Tash (desire)? At the end of the day, we give him the pros and cons and he makes the decision.
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"The player must always be happy. I don't want him to come back and say, 'You said I must go there and now it's not working out'," Davids added.
The FIFA Club World Cup is currently under threat after global players' union FIFPRO and the World Leagues Association (WLA) wrote a letter to FIFA with concerns over player welfare amid congested fixture scheduling.
They have threatened legal action if the tournament, set to be played between June and July in 2025, in USA, is not rescheduled.
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