Break over now it’s back to brass tacks
THIS is the last weekend for holidaying Premier Soccer League players, who are not yet back at work preparing for the upcoming season.
By next Wednesday, 15 of the teams confirmed for the next campaign will be back in training, while the identity of the promotion-relegation playoff winner should be known, too.
On Monday, AmaZulu, SuperSport United and champions Orlando Pirates report back for training while Tuesday marks the start for BidVest Wits, Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, Moroka Swallows and Platinum Stars. The last clubs back at training will be Ajax Cape Town and Maritzburg United, who begin their preparations on Wednesday.
Swallows coach Gordon Igesund will have to tell his players about his future plans with the possibility he might be moving to the Bafana Bafana job by the end of the month.
Pirates have already announced that Oupa Manyisa, Andile Jali and Tokelo Rantie will be given more time off to rest after three weeks of national team duty. Mentioning Rantie, however, seems a little presumptive on the part of the Buccaneers, given it is not clear what the immediate future of the young striker is. He is on loan from Sweden and could be headed back to Europe.
“I’m sure all the players are excited at the prospect of beginning our pre-season training,” said Pirates coach Augusto Palacios on his club’s website, obviously forgetting his own playing days when the first few days of training were torturous on the legs.
Chiefs are planning to start their first week of work with a press conference at which they will expand on their plans and ambitions under Stuart Baxter. Chiefs will also try and deal with some of the negative reports about the new coach which grabbed headlines last month.
First to return to training were new boys Pretoria University, followed by Lamontville Golden Arrows, Black Leopards, Free State Stars and Bloemfontein Celtic this week.
Santos coach Mart Nooij said if his team stays up they will treat the current playoffs as the start of their pre-season work.