Sporting KC Put in the Middle of a Bizarre Transfer Situation for Ugandan Forward

On Wednesday, something very bizarre happened. Actually, multiple bizarre things happened.

First, we got a rare confirmation from Sporting Kansas City that they inquired about a player that they aren’t ultimately landing. Second, we got a glimpse inside the inner workings of the transfer market because of a peculiar decision from one of the involved clubs.

The drama centers around Ugandan forward, Rogers Mato. The 22-year-old recently had a breakout performance at the African Cup of Nations. It’s unclear if the inquiries from the teams involved come before or after his AFCON showing. It’s possible at least Sporting KC were interested earlier.

The involved players, along with Mato and Sporting KC, are Hearts of Midlothian from the Scottish Premier League and FK Vardar from North Macedonia.

Hearts wanted Mato. So much so that they made an offer for the player that would be out of contract in the summer and was eligible to be signed to a pre-contract now. FK Vardar, on their own website, stated Hearts offered €350,000 (~$406,000USD) for Mato. A number which they “rejected without hesitation.”

With Vardar turning them down, Mato signed a pre-contract to join Hearts on a free in the summer. The North Macedonia club gets nothing.

Obviously, for such a small league, a transfer fee for a player can make a large impact. Vardar didn’t want to get nothing. Here is where Sporting KC come in.

Apparently Sporting KC had made a transfer offer for Mato. Not wanting to lose the player for free, Vardar published confidential documents between an intermediary and SKC, as well as a very blurry transfer proposal from Sporting KC possibly signed by David Lee. They went as far as to announce the sale to Sporting KC on their website for a $1 million fee. They’ve since removed the images, but a Macedonian site captured them.

You can see, even with the blurriness, Sporting KC made an offer for the player, with some key details redacted. (Click on the images to make them larger, though the SKC offer in particular is very tough to read).

So, what takes precedent? Does it matter when one document was filed versus another? Seemingly, since the player may have never agreed to terms with Sporting Kansas City, but he did with Hearts, it’s open and shut. There is more nuance to it, but the follow statements put it to bed.

A Hearts spokesperson said, “We have a signed agreement with the player and are relaxed about the situation.”

Daniel Sperry, of the KC Star, got a statement from Sporting KC as well.

“Sporting Kansas City explored a transfer for Rogers Mato but he has elected to sign a pre-contract with Hearts and we wish him all the best in the future.”

So that’s it. Mato isn’t coming to Kansas City.

The fact that Vardar has published private documents and seemingly botched the ability to get a return on their player, will not serve them well in the future. Who will want to do business with a club that behaves that way?

This whole saga is likely one that plays out often in the background that we never hear about. The North Macedonian club making it public is unprofessional, but it gives us a glimpse into the work David Lee, Mike Burns and others are doing to improve Sporting KC.

Obviously, it’s not much consolation when Sporting KC’s roster remains so thin. But it’s an intriguing story none-the-less and gives a glimpse into the profile of player Kansas City are looking for. Hopefully some of these deals start to go through soon.

Shout out to my colleague Mike Kuhn, who apparently discovered the initial rumor and sent us all down this rabbit hole.