Plenty at stake in local league
TIGHT: TOP EIGHT AND CONTINENTAL SPOTS UP FOR GRABS
The relegation situation in the DStv Premiership has been wrapped up for now, and Mamelodi Sundowns have longsince won the title, but there is still plenty to play for in the race for continental and top eight spots, as the season heads beyond its subscribed finishing date.
Orlando Pirates’ run to the Caf Confederation Cup final already meant a delay to the campaign, and more fixtures now have to be rescheduled, after torrential rain in KwaZulu Natal played havoc with Saturday’s matches.
Royal AM and Mamelodi Sundowns started but were unable to finish their match at Chatsworth Stadium, due to a waterlogged pitch, while a similar fate befell AmaZulu and Golden Arrows in their KZN derby at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
All this means that Sundowns will have to wait a little bit longer for their trophy presentation, while Royal AM still have two games left to play in the season, against Masandawana and Orlando Pirates.
Four points from those two games will guarantee that Royal AM qualify for next season’s Champions League, after Stellenbosch FC improved their chances of making it into next season’s Caf Confederation Cup, by beating Cape Town City, currently in the second Champions League spot, 1-0 in Saturday’s Cape derby.
Granwald Scott netted the winning goal for Stellies.
Orlando Pirates are the other side in with a shout of continental football next season, but they will almost certainly have to win all of their last three matches.
Kaizer Chiefs’ draw at home to Swallows FC on Saturday means they are officially out of the running for a continental spot, while
Swallows will have to play in the promotion-relegation play-offs, but did avoid automatic relegation by a point.
Bernard Parker’s late free kick grabbed a point for Chiefs, but Swallows would not have escaped the play-offs even if they had won, with TS Galaxy saving themselves with victory at Chippa United.
Baroka FC have been relegated
automatically and condemned to GladAfrica Championship football next season, after they lost to Maritzburg United on Saturday.
In the race to qualify for next season’s MTN8, meanwhile, Sundowns, Cape Town City, Stellenbosch, Chiefs, Royal AM and AmaZulu are already there, while one of Pirates, SuperSport United and Golden Arrows will miss out.