Mamelodi Sundowns' Chilean Signing Marcelo Allende Criticised for South African Switch

• Promising Chilean midfielder Marcelo Allende's move to Mamelodi Sundowns is supposedly being questioned back home
• According to reports, whispers out of the South American country have started with questions about why he chose South Africa as a destination
• The assumption was that the highly-rated 23-year-old would have left his Uruguayan club for one in either Brazil or Spain, or perhaps waited for an offer from Europe

Choosing to play in South Africa has seen Chilean midfielder Marcelo Allende come under criticism from back home.

The 23-year-old will is expected to be unveiled as Mamelodi Sundowns' latest export from South America.

According to a Kick Off contact based in Chile, the logic of moving from being one of the Uruguayan premier division's top players in the colours of Montevideo City Torque to South Africa does not quite compute.

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The contact told the publication:

"The player is young and of high quality and what would have been normal for him was to wait for offers from Europe or make a stopover in Brazil or Argentina before proceeding to Europe.

"Africa, regardless of the club and country, is seen as a step back for a player of his quality since African leagues are of lower rankings according to FIFA rankings."

It is believed that this will be a factor in seeing Allende dropping out of the Chile national team, which he has earned one cap for. The latest FIFA rankings have Chile at number 29 on the planet, while Bafana Bafana is ranked number 68.

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Mamelodi Sundowns' are determined to maintain their grip on the local game as well as the quest to win a second CAF Champions League title.

As reported by Sports Brief, the DStv Premiership champions have reportedly signed left-footed Moroccan central defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil from the country's top-division club Chabab Mohammedia.

The 24-year-old Boutouil is being identified as a replacement for former player Ricardo Nascimento, who joined Royal AM last season.