It is that time of the season when the championship, relegation and promotion race heats up.
First, the championship race, which seemed destined for Orlando Pirates for the third time, has now become highly contested.
Pirates — who at one point had opened a 12-point gap — have faltered at the final hurdle. Kaizer Chiefs’ inconsistency in the Premier Soccer League has resulted in them clutching at straws, while their rivals Orlando Pirates have begun to crack.
The Buccaneers have lost their sense of urgency and their belief that they are invincible. Recent defeats in the league and cup games have hopefully given them a wake-up call and shown them that they are not indestructible.
The Buccaneers have five games left, three at home and two away. Their opposition is enough to give them a scare. On Saturday, they play Santos, who are fighting to stave off the relegation zone. Then they play Chiefs at the end of the month in a must-win game — for pride, especially and not the points.
Wits University are experiencing relegation problems of their own, and Bush Bucks are looking to retain their Premiership status.
The Pirates’ ship is not yet sinking but the signs are there. Supersport United were the first to show that the Buccaneers are beatable, and then came Bloemfontein Celtic. Sundowns caused irreparable damage before Dynamos, in the Absa Cup, inflicted the most painful defeat.
It is now up to Kostadin Papic and captain Edelbert Dinha to pick up the pieces against Santos, who are rejuvenated after the return of coach Clive Barker and their 3-0 triumph against Bush Bucks in the Absa Cup last weekend.
If Kaizer Chiefs are to retain their championship title, they need to start fighting for it instead of waiting for miracles to happen.
Meeting Wits on Tuesday night after playing Esperance in a must-win 5-0 encounter to book themselves a place in the group stages of the African Champions League is not ideal, and then they play their rivals, Pirates, at the weekend. This should have Chiefs’ technical staff worried.
Moroka Swallows, who have been booted out of the Absa Cup, lost their home record of no defeats at the Rand Stadium to Bush Bucks and are looking to stay in the top eight teams. Then comes Chiefs’ nemesis Supersport United, who would love nothing more than to beat the glamour team.
It is only the Celtic and Bush Bucks games that Chiefs can hope to win. The other games have seen them lose to Swallows and Pirates, and draw with Supersport United and Wits.
Sundowns are another team who have at least a mathematical chance of clinching the title from Pirates.
If Pirates, Chiefs and Sundowns win all their remaining games, they will have 67, 64 and 58 points respectively.
The championship battle is not the only heated battle — there is also the small matter of relegation, with six teams (Manning Rangers, Bush Bucks, Jomo Cosmos, Black Leopards, Santos and Wits) facing it with four games remaining. Three of the teams have 25 points and the others 26 points.
The promotion battle in the Mvela Golden League has almost come to an end, with Free State Stars looking certain to return to top-flight football, as they have opened up a nine-point lead with five games remaining.
Behind Free State Stars are Durban Stars, Classic, Vasco da Gama, Maritzburg United and Zulu Royals, who are fighting for places in the platinum playoffs to get promotion to the league the hard way.