Time that we clean up our local soccer
BOTH the PSL and Premier League seasons concluded recently but not without their fair share of drama.
At home, the big question was whether it would be Ajax Cape Town or SuperSport United relegated to the PSL/NFD play-off/promotion battle. The Urban Warriors lost 1-2 to Kaizer Chiefs and confirmed their spot in the play-offs, only for the Tendai Ndoro eligibility issue to resurface. That resulted in the Cape side being docked points and getting relegated, while Platinum Stars grabbed the lifeline of the play-offs.
It doesn’t end there, however. Ajax is in the process of considering various legal challenges to stop the playoffs, that’s already started, and to retain the points docked from the games where Zimbabwean striker Ndoro featured.
It was an incredibly unpredictable season in the PSL. Yes, Sundowns were head and shoulders above the rest, but we saw some big hitters struggle this past season. At the midway point, it looked like Bidvest Wits (last season’s champions) were going to be relegated, only for them to turn things around after the summer break to hold on to 12th on the table – still a poor showing for the former champs.
That SuperSport United (threetimes league winners) battled in the bottom half was also baffling, and it was yet another disappointing season for Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, who never really looked like title challengers. Two teams that stood out and were perhaps the stories of the season were Maritzburg United, who finished fourth – a massive season for the Team of Choice and their coach Fadlu Davids, and Amazulu, who secured a top-eight finish – let’s not forget that they were relegated, bought their PSL status and defied the odds to finish 8th.
Maritzburg’s loss to Free State Stars in the Nedbank Cup final at the weekend closed the campaign on a low note for them, but they have a solid foundation to build on, with a young team that has plenty room for growth.
■ NOW that the domestic football season is over, I really do hope that all the bigwigs in football work during the off-season to address all the security issues experienced at recent football games and implement stringent measures to ensure that such violent scenes don’t play out in local football again.
When it happened at Loftus Versfeld, it was jaw-dropping and completely unexpected, while the scenes at Moses Mabhida were disgusting and mind-boggling. While we often disagree with the decisions made by coaches of teams we support and often want them sacked, there are ways and means to have your voice heard. Violence should never be one of them.
Our football is not just hurting, but reeling. Competitively, we fail to qualify for World Cups; we aren’t producing talent like we did in the past, attendance is poor, and it just seems like the number one sport in SA is struggling.
A sad state of affairs when you think about how much just about everyone in this country loves football. This is the sport that united our country in 2010, and now eight years later, we’re struggling. That shouldn’t be!
■ THE Premier League was not without some excitement and unpredictability – Liverpool secured the final Champions League spot ahead of Chelsea, Swansea City were relegated, Manchester City closed out the season on 100 points, we bid farewell to Michael Carrick and Arsene Wenger, and Burnley finished seventh!
And, Mo Salah was on fire, setting a new league record of 32 goals in a 38game season – great news for the Reds as they gear up to face Real Madrid in the Champions League final.