The PSL title looks destined for one of the two Soweto giants
Ntuthuko Maphumulo
The race for Premier Soccer League (PSL) title will not be over until the fat lady sings but the first notes sounded for defending champions Sundowns after their 0-0 draw with Orlando Pirates on Wednesday.
The Mamelodi outfit still have a mathematical chance of retaining their title but they will have to rely on slip-ups from Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.
Wednesday night’s match was intense, with both sides squandering golden opportunities, but the performance of the match officials left a lot to be desired with one red card given to Raphael Chukwu for kicking the ball after the referee had blown the whistle. There was also a disallowed goal by Sinothi Mathlane in the first half.
Sundowns coach Neil Tovey was furious with the referee, while his counterpart at Pirates, Gordon Igesund, escaped the wrath of Pirates supporters by salvaging a point at Loftus.
If Pirates win all their remaining fixtures, they will end the season with 66 points and the championship. Chiefs can score a maximum of 65 points (depending on the result of Thursday night’s fixture against Free State Stars) and Sundowns a maximum of 62 points.
The replay of the Soweto derby between Chiefs and Pirates (the original match at Ellis Park was abandoned after a crowd stampede that left 43 dead) could decide the title.
The match the venue and date for which have not yet been finalised looks like being the one that will decide the title.
The scrap at the top of the table is naturally drawing the most attention at the moment, but is not all that is at stake. Teams are still fighting to be in next season’s BPTop Eight competition and the relegation battle has not yet been decided.
Bush Bucks lost three points to relegation-threatened Manning Rangers last week, and have fallen out of the top eight.
Fresh from their weekend victory in the African Cup Winners’ Cup, Chiefs returned to Ellis Park for the first time since last month’s tragedy to take on top-eight candidates Free State Stars on Thursday night. The result was too late for publication.
At the bottom of the PSL log it will be survival of the fittest as three teams attempt to avoid the fate of already-relegated African Wanderers.
Moroka Swallows flew back into trouble with a loss at the weekend, while wins by Rangers and Bloemfontein Celtic have given them hope.
Bloemfontein Celtic are favourites to go down as their final match is against Sundowns, who want to win at all costs to stay in contention for the title. Celtic also have to win their disciplinary hearing over the three points deducted for fielding a suspended player.
Swallows have an equally difficult task, taking on high-flying Orlando Pirates. The Bucanneers will also be out for revenge as the Birds knocked them out of the Bob Save Super Bowl.
Rangers take on Hellenic in a match both sides need to win to ensure a future in the PSL. Rangers will then have a long rest before they face Kaizer Chiefs, who will determine whether they get relegated.
Which two other teams will be playing with the big boys next year will be decided this weekend, when the MTN league sides play their final matches.
In the inland stream, Black Leopards seem set to bound into the elite league, while in the coastal stream a battle looms between Amazulu and Park United as to who is going to be promoted to the PSL.
n The Malawi Football Federation is fuming about the postponement of the Council of Southern Africa Football Association (Cosafa) Cup quarter- final game against Bafana Bafana, due to have been played on Saturday.
The perennially congested PSL fixture list, given as the reason for South Africa requesting a postponement, was further disrupted by the Ellis Park tragedy last month.
The Malawian federation is angry that it wasn’t consulted about Cosafa’s decision as it was already preparing for the game. It has accused the South African Football Association (Safa) of bullying Cosafa into rescheduling the match.
But Safa CEO Danny Jordaan says: “The Malawi soccer federation is exaggerating the influence the association has over Cosafa.”
The match will now be played on July 21 as South Africa will play a series of African Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers next month.
The Malawi national team had already been preparing for the match when they were informed that the match had to be rescheduled, and they complain the new date will disturb their forthcoming matches.
The other matches in the quarterfinals are Lesotho versus Zambia, Zimbabwe versus Swaziland and Angola versus Mauritius. The winner of the rescheduled match in Blantyre will play in the semifinals in August.