Don’t switch off your TV set on Wednesday night if you are a soccer fan and have even an inkling of interest in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) championship race.
For the first time on South African television, three PSL games will be televised simultaneously — and they involve Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, the three teams who occupy the front-running positions in the title race.
Log leaders Pirates are away to Dynamos at Giyani Stadium (7.30pm), defending champions Kaizer Chiefs have taken their home fixture against Silver Stars (7.30pm) to Rustenburg’s Olympia Park and Sundowns face Supersport United (7.30pm) in the traditional Pretoria derby at Loftus.
Rival TV stations the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and M-Net are operating in harmony on this occasion to provide the glut of games for viewers, with the SABC featuring the Chiefs match and the Supersport channels handling the games involving the other leading championship challengers.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that all three games are likely to be intense affairs, with the results having a significant bearing on the title race and the outcomes of a tantalising and unpredictable nature.
Sundowns are breathing down Pirates’ neck a mere three points behind the log leaders with a game in hand and a superior goal difference — and a victory for the Brazilians and a defeat for the Buccaneers will result in a dramatic swing at the top of the log.
Chiefs, after a mainly uninspiring sequence of matches, dare not falter if they are to remain in serious contention to equal Sundowns’ record of three successive PSL titles.
But in Silver Stars they face one of the fittest and most unrelenting bunches of players in the PSL, and only a repeat of the form that accounted for Pirates 10 days ago will be good enough for three points.
Sundowns, for their part, have suffered much frustration against Supersport in the past couple of seasons, losing three of the past four games between the teams.
And on an evening when only three TV sets and three pairs of eyes will allow anyone to follow all the action, drama in abundance is quite likely on the cards. — Sapa
Other PSL fixtures
Jomo Cosmos vs Moroka Swallows at Dobsonville Stadium (3.45pm)
Golden Arrows vs Ajax Cape Town at King Zwelithini Stadium (3.45pm)
Santos vs Classic at Athlone Stadium (8pm)