SuperSport players read the riot act

SuperSport United director of football Stan Matthews has issued an ultimatum to his players to finish the season inside the top six or face the consequences at the end of the premiership campaign in May.

United have lacked consistency under coach Kaitano Tembo‚ who was given the job on a full-time basis after he impressed as caretaker following the dismissal of Eric Tinkler‚ and Matthews said most of the players had been made aware that they are playing for their contracts.

“Players are either going to earn themselves new contracts or the new broom is going to have to come in and sweep clean‚” Matthews said.

SuperSport are eighth on the premiership standings with 26 points from 19 matches.

Their mission to force their way into the top six bracket continues on Sunday when they visit Golden Arrows at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Durban on Sunday.

They were recently dumped out of the Nedbank Cup by Cape Town City where they lost 2-0.

“I have shared it with them very clearly that if we are not in the top six‚ most them will either be offered their clearances or transfer listed‚” he said.

He said they were careful how they operated on the transfer market because they were tightening their belts.

United only brought in Mxolisi Macuphu from Bidvest Wits and George Lebese from Mamelodi Sundowns on short term deals until the end of the season during the transfer window and Matthews said they did not want to make panic recruitment's.

“I don’t want a situation where we panic sign because we want to finish fourth instead of sixth and we hurt the club for the next three to four years because we have not brought in the right quality of players‚” he said.

“We know what type of quality we want‚ we understand that we are under performing at the moment relative to where we have been for the last 15 years as club.”