”Happy, but not altogether happy,” was how one of the Orlando Pirates’ supporters, who are dubbed the ”Happy People”, reflected the general mood at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon after the Buccaneers had beaten Sudan’s AlHilal 2-0 in a first-leg, third-round CAF Champions League game.
A season of trials and tribulations for Orlando Pirates midfield dynamo Benedict Vilakazi has come to a characteristically traumatic and premature end. The Buccaneers’ website on Friday revealed that the player will be out of soccer for a minimum of six weeks due to a fractured ankle.
Lamontville Golden Arrows have been slapped with a R50 000 suspended fine by the Premier Soccer League (PSL) disciplinary committee following crowd incidents at the recent PSL game that the Durban-based club lost 3-2 against Supersport United with nine men.
While the intriguing Premier Soccer League title race enjoys a ”rest period’ this weekend, there is no respite for Orlando Pirates as they take on Sudan’s AlHilal in a first-leg, third-round Caf Champions League game at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon — easily the most prestigious, lucrative and testing challenge that confronts Pirates.
It has been labelled the ”Cup of Dreams” by the sponsors’ enterprising marketing department. And, after a succession of ”dream draws” for earlier rounds of the competition, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Wednesday produced a couple of ”dream venues” for the Absa Cup semifinals.
Two minutes of magic shortly after half-time delighted a 22 000-strong crowd at Ellis Park on Wednesday night and kept Orlando Pirates in contention for the Premier Soccer League title with a rousing 2-0 win over Dynamos. It was mesmerising substitute Gift Leremi who paved the way for the Buccaneers’ 2-0 success.
The Mamelodi Sundowns squad and technical team can look forward to juicy bonuses amounting to a net R5-million if they win the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and the Absa Cup — but joint coach Neil Tovey said on Tuesday attention at the Chloorkop club is currently focused on the silverware that goes with the PSL’s major titles.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is faced with a major ground crisis as the high-profiled Premier League and Absa Cup competitions approach a grandstand climax. This was announced on Monday by PSL CEO Trevor Phillips, who revealed that six of the Premier League clubs are currently labouring without the use of their delegated home grounds.
When a PSL official was questioned at the time how the draw for this weekend’s Absa Cup quarterfinals had fallen neatly into place to pave the way for the first truly high-profile final since the competition’s inception, the bland reply suggested it was due to CEO Trevor Phillips’ ”magic hand”.
As if ordained by an all-powerful soccer oracle — or the product of uncanny premonition — Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates have been billed to play their final Premier Soccer League game of the season against each other at Pretoria’s Loftus stadium on May 13.