Soccer galore at Sisa
Club boss over the moon that PSL matches will be played at Mdantsane
Chippa United will play five PSL matches in Mdantsane when the 2018-19 season commences on Saturday, August 4.
This after the PSL released the fixtures for the new season on Monday evening.
The Chilli Boys who recently re-appointed Dan “Dance” Malesela as head coach after sacking Vladislav Heric, will play their first game against Bloemfontein Celtic at the Dr Molemela Stadium, before heading home to host Orlando Pirates at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday, August 8.
Their first game at Sisa Dukashe Stadium will be on Saturday, August 18 when they host the newly promoted Black Leopards. Their second in Mdantsane will be against Baroka on Saturday, September 15.
The Chilli Boys’ third game at the NU2 venue will see the return of the Chloorkop giants, Sundowns on Saturday, October 27 and in the new year they will host Bloemfontein Celtic and Super-Sport United.
Club chairman, Chippa Mpengesi told the Dispatch that the club was committed bringing top- flight football to their supporters in the region. “We are committed to our supporters in the entire Eastern Cape irrespective, it’s not about money. But it’s about our people of Mdantsane, former Transkei and so forth.”
He said they were “over the moon” after the PSL approved their fixtures in Mdantsane.
The PSL have switched around the opening fixtures of the new Absa Premiership campaign to allow champions Mamelodi Sundowns to get the new season under way in a showpiece clash against Kaizer Chiefs in the hope of an explosive start.
Originally‚ Bidvest Wits and Free State Stars were due to mark the start of the new league season with the opening game on Friday‚ August 3‚ but the two clubs have been asked to switch back their match by 24 hours to allow for the high-profile Sundowns-Chiefs clash to take up a prominent position.
Wits agreed the change‚ feeling it is only fair that the defending league champions symbolically kick-off the new season as they did at the start of the 2017-18 campaign.
Sundowns’ match against Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld‚ which kicks off at 3pm on Saturday‚ August 4‚ is now the first of 240 league fixtures scheduled through to May next year. — Additional reporting by Mark Gleeson.