PICTURES: Cassper Nyovest trains with Sundowns

Cassper Nyovest is interestingly spending time with Sundowns this week in preparation for his celebrity boxing match this weekend.

PICTURES: Cassper Nyovest trains with Sundowns

In a social media post on Tuesday, Sundowns shared that “Nyovest is with The Brazilians this morning at Chloorkop as preparation for his fight this weekend whilst Bafana Ba Style prepare for their MTN8 clash in Orlando!”

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Nyovest is set for a celebrity boxing bout against Priddy Ugly, with the two musicians preparing to do battle in Pretoria on Saturday, 1 October.

Sundowns are set to take on Pirates this Saturday, while in the other semi-final encounter, Chiefs will host AmaZulu on Sunday.

During the past transfer window, Sundowns confirmed the newest arrival of Bafana Bafana international Terrence Mashego on a five-year deal. That signing followed hot on the heels of the club also unveiling Marcelo Allende as one of their newest signings.

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Earlier this year it was also revealed that Moroccan defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil would also be joining Masandawana.

That news has not been officially confirmed until last week, though, with Sundowns releasing the following announcement video on Thursday.

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Ahead of the new season, Sundowns had already bolstered their squad with carefully-considered recruits, with the Brazilians warmly welcoming the arrival of Abubeker Nasir, who has already made an immediate impact.

Some critics have suggested that the strength of the player resources could lead to one-sided dominance and a weakening of the competition in the DStv Premiership, but Sundowns chairperson Thlopie Motsepe has sought to set the record straight.

“I don’t know where the criticism has come from in that regard. Players want to come to Mamelodi Sundowns because it is a place where they can improve themselves and achieve their dreams in football…” he said.

“I said at the end of last season we can expect a very tough league after the success we had last season. It has been a competitive and tough league [in 2022-23]. We expect it to only get even more competitive.”

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The arrival of Boutouil and Allende were initially hindered by visa and work permit application issues, but Sundowns were working hard to have both players registered.

Boutouil signed a three-year deal and the hope is that Peter Shalulile (Namibia) will successfully receive a permanent residence approval in the near future. That would open up a spot for Boutouil to be registered as one of five foreign players along with Gaston Sirino (Uruguay), Nasir, Allende and Erwin Saavedra (Bolivia).

According to KickOff.com, this situation looks likely to successfully materialise before the close of the window on 22 September, and “Boutouil could be available as soon as the next game”.

Sundowns are currently at the summit of the PSL standings

When considering there will soon be a two-week Fifa calendar break, the hope would be for Boutouil to be available for the MTN8 semi-final on 1 October against Pirates if all goes according to plan.

The previous Sundowns signing to be officially unveiled was Bongani Zungu who marks his return to Chloorkop after leaving the club in 2016 to play internationally.

Meanwhile, with Sundowns needing to carefully balance their books in terms of the ‘foreign player’ allowance of five registered signings, Slovakian striker Pavol Safranko was recently let go by the club.

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