With two crucial World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifiers coming up, Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter will have to find himself a consistent squad. Starting on Sunday against the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, Bafana Bafana must get maximum points to keep them on top of the table.

There is a new breeding ground for future stars of the Premier Soccer League and Bafana Bafana — the Mvela Golden League, which starts this weekend. Dangerous Darkies versus Pietersburg Pillars will kick off the season at Kanyamazane stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday. The restructured league comprises 18 clubs.

The SAA Supa 8 kicks off this weekend with only one thing certain: new champions will be crowned. Last year’s winners, Jomo Cosmos, failed to make the top eight in the league last season and so are unable to defend their crown. Those who did end up in the table’s top half will be able to recoup some of the money they spent in the transfer market.

Zulu Royals, relegated from the Premier Soccer League last season, are again trying to get back into the top flight via the courts rather than the football field. This time they are trying to prove that Dikulu Bageta, a Congolese defender who played for Ajax Cape Town last season, was improperly registered by the league.

The world looks beautiful from the summit of the Premier Soccer League and champions Kaizer Chiefs, who clinched last season’s title after 12 barren years, will be going all out to become the only club other than Sundowns to defend the championship. But Chiefs do not look capable of retaining the title

Bafana Bafana find themselves having to win the game against Burkina Faso on Saturday in order to keep their destiny in their own hands for the qualifiers of both the African Cup of Nations and World Cup in 2006. All the teams in group two have three points and this weekend’s game against the Burkinabe presents Bafana Bafana with a good chance to pull away from the five other countries.

The Absa Cup final in Bloemfontein on Sunday will be more than just a big match for both Manning Rangers and Moroka Swallows. For Rangers, who escaped relegation by a hair’s breadth this season, the final is their first chance to win some silverware since they lifted the inaugural Premier Soccer League title in 1996/97.

The road to Egypt and Germany begins in earnest for Bafana Bafana on Saturday when they take on the Cape Verde Islands. The World Cup qualifier against the islanders, ranked 144th in the world, kicks off the national side’s efforts to make it to the 2006 World Cup and African Cup of Nations.

Kaizer Chiefs fans’ celebrations have been put on hold for a week. What stands between the Glamour Boys and ending a 12-year league title drought is the small matter of three points. If Chiefs can overcome Moroka Swallows on Saturday, rivals Ajax Cape Town and Wits University will be left with only second place to fight over.

The race for the Premier Soccer League title is again set to go down to the wire, but the next few weeks will be crucial in separating the winners from the losers at both ends of the table. The Glamour Boys have an excellent chance of winning the league, especially as their only rivals have cup distractions.