Andrew Muchineripi SOCCER
Just when we feared the 1999-2000 South African soccer season would never end, it did. And what a sad finale it proved to be at a chilly, overcast, near-deserted Johannesburg Stadium.
Bowing to long-running pressure, this humble scribe took some young relatives along and helped swell the crowd to 2 000 for the Castle Premiership clash between Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United.
Imagine how shocked the soccer supporters of tomorrow were to discover none of their Amakhosi heroes had shown up. No Brian Baloyi, no Jacob Tshisevhe, no Doctor Khumalo, no Siyabonga Nomvete.
And where were these distinguished gentlemen? Having a jol at a party to celebrate the engagement of Baloyi, one of the most eligible bachelors in our beautiful land. I am not a spoil-sport and Baloyi has every right to enjoy such a wonderful moment in his life, but was it fair to ask largely cash-strapped fans to pay at least R10 to watch Chiefs reserves in action?
Only Lifa Gqosha of the Bob Save Super Bowl-winning team was present and Chiefs paid the inevitable penalty, losing 2-1 against SuperSport in yet another meaningless encounter.
In many ways the last league fixture of an 11-month season summed up much of what went before. After three seasons of progress by the Premier Soccer League (PSL), I believe they went backwards this time round.
First, there was the image problem, created largely by the Joe Ndhlela affair. It is not for me to take you down a well-walked path, but the sudden departure of the chief executive left stains that have not been cleaned.
Ndhlela has not been replaced, leaving a vacuum at the top. The post has been advertised and I was unsure whether to laugh or cry when informed that the myriad applicants included a fair number of matriculants!
If events off the field did the PSL no favours, there was not an awful lot to enthuse about on the pitch either with a controversy-riddled Rothmans Cup ending tamely as Sundowns outclassed Free State Stars.
The Themba Seli affair that saw Stars in and out of the competition so often that even members of the Fourth Estate were losing touch was another saga the PSL would have been better off without.
At least the other knockout competition, the Super Bowl, produced a Chiefs- Sundowns finale, and what it may have lacked technically was compensated for by a thrilling struggle before a capacity 80 000 crowd. Chiefs won thanks to a Nomvete penalty on the stroke of half-time, and deprived the Brazilians of a hat-trick as they won the league title a record third consecutive time despite a couple of hiccups during the run-in.
Sundowns were undoubtedly the team of the season and boasted reserves like Alex Bapela and Papi Mbele, who would be guaranteed first-team places at almost any other Premiership club.
Orlando Pirates, pre-competition favourites for the league on account of winning the Vodacom Challenge and the Iwisa Charity Spectacular, flattered only to deceive with a host of big names not delivering when it mattered most.
With Nomvete seemingly bound for greener financial pastures in Europe, Chiefs have to find a couple of consistent scorers to finish off the good work performed elsewhere on the pitch.
Ajax Cape Town exceeded expectations by finishing fourth and can only improve under enlightened management and sound structures. Manning Rangers came next despite limited resources.
Wits University could argue that they were the real team of the season. A club with few financial resources and even fewer supporters, they can be proud of coach John Lathan and his highly committed squad.
At the other end, Mother City were a laughing stock and finished with just 10 points from a possible 102.
Hastily assembled from the ashes of Cape Town Spurs, they were an embarrassment to themselves and South African football.
AmaZulu also went down after several narrow escapes in previous seasons, although the PSL meet on Saturday to discuss a complaint Usuthu have lodged against African Wanderers’ Nigerian striker Tony Ilodigwe.
So you thought there would be time to pursue non-football activities over the next few weeks? Forget it!
The second edition of the Vodacom Challenge begins on Saturday at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Phokeng. Pirates face African Champions League holders Raja Casablanca of Morocco at 12.30 followed by Kaizer Chiefs against African Cup Winners Cup holders Africa Sports of Ivory Coast at 3pm.
The final and third-place playoff are scheduled for Absa Park in Durban the following Sunday and the hopes of the Buccaneers and Amakhosi could hinge on what reserves of energy their players possess.
Come to think of it, the challenge marks the start of the 2000-2001 season, meaning South Africa has succeeded in inventing the 12-month soccer season.Whether footballers and fans really want this is extremely doubtful.