SuperSport United CEO Stan Matthews is excited about the trajectory of Shandre Campbell’s career with Club Brugge, anticipating a significant financial return in the future due to their retained percentage of any future sale.

SuperSport sold Campbell to the Belgian side at the start of the season, after he made 20 PSL appearances, scoring two goals and providing five assists.

Upon signing, the left winger was placed in Brugge’s reserve team, not the first team, where he has been impressing with strong performances. In 13 appearances this season, Campbell has scored six goals, including the opener in their 3-2 away win against Belgian giants RSC Anderlecht II on Saturday.

“We have let many players go in the past, but we are building a sustainable model for our football club,” said Matthews. “People will say, ‘Oh, Shandre, you let Shandre go too early.’ Yes, from a traditional football perspective, we would have loved to have kept Shandre for another two or three seasons, and maybe he would have been worth even more money by then.”

Matthews, one of the most experienced football administrators in the country, former PSL CEO, and current PSL EXCO member, confirmed the good news for Campbell after a successful few months. “But the acceleration he is showing in Europe right now… he has just been called up from the second team to the Brugge first team. Their CEO (Bob Madou) called me on Friday morning to say Shandre has been promoted to the first team after five (six) goals and two assists with the reserve team,” said Matthews.

“So, now he is training full-time with the first team, and a player like Shandre, in two or three years’ time, could be worth 40-50 million Euros. Our percentage sale on Shandre, although we are not getting anything now—we are paying the price, and it is tough—in two or three years’ time, our percentage sale could be worth literally dozens of millions of rands, which is great and sustainable for the club. It is the same thing we got for Ime Okon, who has two opportunities abroad.”

Club Brugge is the former club of South African international Percy Tau, who won the league title with them and also featured in the UEFA Champions League.

It is also the former club of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, who played for them from 1983 to 1988, Ivan Perišić, former Bafana Bafana midfielder Elrio van Heerden, Nigeria’s Daniel Amokachi, and Paraguay international Antolín Alcaraz. Brugge’s senior team is currently second in the Belgian Premier League, behind Genk, with a game in hand.