US rapper DJ Khaled is the subject of intense debate in South African football fandom after he posted a picture holding up a Mamelodi Sundowns jersey.
DJ Khaled sets off diski talk with this Mamelodi Sundowns endorsement
Premier Soccer League (PSL) fans were treated to a viral moment on Wednesday when Sundowns’ social media team boasted a high-level endorsement from one of the world’s top-selling artists.
Fresh off releasing his 13th top-selling studio album, God Did, Khaled posed for a photo op holding up and, in another picture, wearing a custom-made Sundowns’ 2022/2023 home kit.
The viral moment was, of course, made possible by the marketing genius of Michael Yormark, the president and co-CEO of Roc Nation Sports.
Yormark has been an instrumental figure in bridging South Africa’s sports fraternity closer to the international brand marketplace.
The 55-year-old was instrumental in inking a lucrative deal with Springbok captain Siya Kolisi back in 2019, with whom he enjoys a close personal relationship.
Yormark has since recruited Springbok players like Cheslin Kolbe, Sbu Nkosi and Aphelele Fassi. The Roc Nation president’s entry into South African sport has, until now, been limited to rugby, which, during a keynote address at the 2021 Hollard Sport Industry Awards back in November, he described as a bureaucratic mess.
βWhen you think about South Africa, the players have no voice, and there is no true partnership. The governing bodies control sport, whether itβs rugby, cricket or football β the players donβt have a seat at the table and are not involved in the decision-making.
“Thatβs a problem. Weβre trying to elevate the influence of athletes in South Africa to push them to the table, to give them that opportunity to be true partners in the sports that they are participating in. Thatβs one of the biggest differences between sports in South Africa and America,” he said.
Are Mamelodi Sundowns his next client and first in football? If anything, the viral photo op that birthed a heated squabble between rival PSL fans could be a compelling charm.
Here’s how social media reacted to the picture of DJ Khaled wearing a Mamelodi Sundowns jersey: