Mamelodi Sundowns had a foreign quota conundrum and with the new season already underway, Soccer Laduma reports on whether they are settled.
Sundowns were believed to have nine foreign players on their books, with only five foreign spots permitted to be registered with the Premier Soccer League.
During the off-season, The Brazilians had Abdelmounaim Boutouil, Marcelo Allende, Divine Lunga, Lucas Ribeiro, Arthur Sales, Abubaker Nasir, Erwin Saavedra, Junior Mendieta and Matias Esquivel.
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To deal with the issue, the Tshwane giants terminated the contract of Mendieta, who eventually joined Greek outfit FC Volos on a free transfer.
Masandawana also sent Esquivel on loan to Argentine side CA Talleres, who have an option to buy him permanently.
There have been reports that Nasir could be sent out on loan to offload a foreign spot but that could be dependent on whether Sundowns are successful in acquiring a permanent residency for Saavedra, through a financially independent permit (FIP).
The Bolivian, as hinted by head coach Manqoba Mngqithi, could therefore be registered as a local, should his application to be naturalized be successful.
Should Saavedra be registered as a local, in the same way they did with Alje Schut in 2015, then Masandawana would have settled their foreign issue.
This publication has been led to believe that Lunga acquired his permanent residency during the January transfer window and has been registered as a local after spending five years in the country.
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Despite links with an exit, Boutouil looks set to remain at Chloorkop, as he forms five foreign spots alongside Allende, Ribeiro, Sales and Nasir (should Saavedra be naturalized).
With the transfer window open, there could still be twist and turns in the Brazilians' juggling of their foreign quota, should they sign another foreign player but as things stand, they look to have finanally settled the foreign quota issue, which hinges on Saavedra gaining local status.
