Former Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns star Phil ”Chippa” Masinga said the pressure will be on defending champions SuperSport United as the Absa Premiership heads into the final straight.
Masinga, one of the finest Bafana players produced in the modern era, won the PSL championship with Mamelodi Sundowns in 1993 and won the Bob Save Super Bowl with Jomo Cosmos and won two league runners-up medals with Cosmos before he went to Europe where he played successfully in England alongside another of the Bafana legends, Lucas Radebe, at Leeds United.
At Leeds the tall, lanky player was nicknamed ”Waltzing Masinga” for his fearless approach to defence. He then played in Switzerland and later moved to the Italian Serie A where be played for Bari and won a lot of respect from the hard tackling defenders by the way he was able to shield the ball and take punishment without complaining.
Masinga played 58 times for his country, netting 18 goals. He helped Bafana win the 1996 African Nations Cup under coach Clive Barker on home soil and went on to play at the 1998 World Cup finals.
Masinga said while the pressure is on SuperSport, it will be up to the others to give chase. ”I have been very impressed by the mental strength and character United have shown, especially after I have watched them lose 4-1 away to Free State Stars earlier this year. They bounced back nicely and are still on top of the league.
”But I believe it is more difficult to be on top for a long time and stay there until the end of the season, than come from behind and win the championship.”
Masinga sees his former club Downs, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates as the main threats to SuperSport.
”Apart from Downs losing to bottom team Bay United last weekend, all three have the ability to challenge and even pip SuperSport. The three teams are starting to look good and get positive results, despite Sundowns’ slip last weekend. They have a quality side and plenty of depth which is needed to win a league championship.
”But having said that, United coach Gavin Hunt has done a splendid job. He has already won the title with his players and knows what it takes to win a championship. If they can handle the pressure then they will retain the tile, but if they start to slip I believe one of Pirates, Downs or Chiefs will be champions in May.â€
At the other end Masinga said he reckons either Bay or Maritzburg will be relegated. Both were promoted at the start of the season.
”I am worried about both Bay and Maritzburg. They get a couple of good results every now and again but need to be more consistent if they are to avoid being relegated,” he said.
Masinga said he did not think either Bloemfontein Celtic nor Thanda Royal Zulu — the other two teams in the relegation mix — would go down.
He explained: ”Celtic are starting to put together a good run of results and have shown an appetite to stay in the PSL, while Thanda have some really good players and in my opinion have enough experience and quality to stay up and next season should be aiming at the middle of the table or for a place in the top eight.” – Sapa