The Premier Soccer League title race is fast turning into a two-horse race between the Buccaneers and Mamelodi Sundowns. But even then, some are ready to put their money on Masandawana winning the race again despite the Ghost showing a strong interest in the title. One of those who is sceptical about the Sea Robbers winning the league is the Polokwane City coach, and he has his reasons.
The 27-year-old began the season in scintillating form for the Buccaneers, a run that earned him a recall to the national team and a place in the squad for the 2025 AFCON finals. However, his fortunes have dipped since returning from the continental tournament, with his form and game time coming under scrutiny. His agent has since claimed the player is being frozen out for other reasons than his performances on the pitch.
Both Masandawana and the Sea Robbers have been doing well in the race for the league crown, where they are both on 44 points from the 19 games played so far. Some stakeholders feel this is the time when the Buccaneers can beat the Brazilians to the title and end their decade-long dominance, where they have been crowned eight times in a row.
The former Esperance tactician believes the lack of modern technology in South African top-flight football, which, he insists, has hurt the Brazilians and the other teams. Masandawana are chasing the Premier Soccer League crown for the ninth time in a row, but face stiff competition from leaders Orlando Pirates.
The South African Sports Minister has issued a chilling warning regarding the safety of the Soweto Derby, suggesting the nation’s biggest football fixture is currently a disaster waiting to happen. In the latest Derby the same old issues around access to the stadium, insufficient security and ticketing system failures were all on show once again.
The Sea Robbers had to rely on a late show to overcome a stubborn Rise and Shine outfit, with second-half strikes from Relebohile Mofokeng and Patrick Maswanganyi doing the damage. However, the wet and uneven conditions made life difficult for the Soweto giants, leading Ouaddou to question why a Premier Soccer League fixture was not moved to the modern World Cup venue situated right next door.
The Ghost survived a scare against Rise and Shine in Limpopo but will be happy to go back home with a narrow victory from the match at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday. More importantly for the Soweto giants, they are still at the summit of the Premier Soccer League log.
The Bafana Bafana legend is one of the high-profile coaches from South Africa, having been in charge of Manchester United strikers before. Currently, the former Porto FC star is the head coach of the Kenyan national team, Harambee Stars. Being one of the top-level tacticians, he has been linked with a number of teams, including the two Soweto giants.
The 48-year-old is currently the head coach of the Kenya national team and remains strongly linked with several clubs, including Kaizer Chiefs. He was also touted as a possible successor to Jose Riveiro at Orlando Pirates before the Buccaneers settled for Abdeslam Ouaddou.
There have been questions raised about some decisions made in the South African top tier, some of which have cost teams trophies as well as points. SAFA, alongside the Premier Soccer League management, has been working in conjunction with the government to improve the situation of football in the country.
The PSL has officially confirmed the first set of its Monthly Awards winners for the second half of the season. The Mamelodi Sundowns coach, Orlando Pirates sensation, and Kaizer Chiefs forward have all been recognised for their outstanding contributions during the January–February period.
The Soweto giants are having a nightmare as they continue struggling to get results in competitive outings. Despite the massive signings made in the off-season transfer window, the Glamour Boys are almost guaranteed a trophyless 2025/26 season. They are trailing the league leaders by 11 points following the most recent defeat. And, the club's fans are making their feelings clear about the position Amakhosi find themselves in.
The alarm bells are ringing louder than ever at Naturena as Amakhosi's season is spiralling out of control after a dismal 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Natal Rich Boyz on Tuesday evening. And judging by the game metrics, it was their worst, most sterile performance under their current co-coaches' setup, leading to fans calling for Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef to leave the club.
The Soweto giants entered this encounter under heavy pressure after back-to-back defeats, and their concerns deepened with a pre-match blow as Inacio Miguel was ruled out injured. Amakhosi fans briefly had something to cheer about with Nkanyiso Shinga making his debut, but that optimism was short-lived as he was forced off injured. In the end, the result only added to their growing frustrations.
With Bucs' focus solely on the league title, it means they are expected to go full throttle against their opponents and secure points. The gap at the top is quite slim because the Soweto giants only lead Mamelodi Sundowns by an insignificant goal difference. The midweek clash is another crucial game for the Buccaneers because a win will help them remain in the neck-and-neck title battle, and a loss would see them cede some ground.
The Sea Robbers will be back in action on Wednesday after a morale-boosting win over the Glamour Boys in the Soweto derby. Against Rise and Shine, Bucs will need more points in order to keep pace with Mamelodi Sundowns in the tight Premier Soccer League title race.
The Buccaneers will host the Natal Rich Boyz at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Wednesday. The KwaZulu-Natal side will come in high on confidence, having secured three points against Kaizer Chiefs in their last league match. However, for the Sea Robbers, every point is crucial at this stage, and they are laser-focused on the title race, while the visitors are striving to climb the standings and secure a coveted top-eight finish.
The 55-year-old coach has moved to temper expectations surrounding his side, insisting that a charge for the title was never the internal mandate. Despite Babina Noko sitting in a competitive position, Tinkler is adamant that any championship talk has been manufactured by the media rather than the club’s boardroom.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) have officially pulled back the curtain on the new 2026/2027 home jersey by adidas. In a move that is sure to delight fans of a certain vintage, the new look for both Mzansi men's and women's national teams draws direct inspiration from the legendary 2010 World Cup kit.
When the 20-year-old moved from Orlando Pirates to Chicago Fire, it triggered a massive upsurge on the Chicago club's social media, which saw 180,000 followers join in the first 48 hours. That figure has since grown to over half a million South African social media accounts now following the club, making up a quarter of their entire online audience.
Amakhosi’s performance against their old foes has drawn sharp condemnation from a former Maritzburg United coach, who finds nothing positive to take from the display by the 2014/15 Premier Soccer League champions. The Glamour Boys were second best in key moments of the game as they did not show the hunger expected in such a high-stakes clash.
The Glamour Boys are enduring their worst run of form this season, having suffered three defeats in a row across all competitions. The Soweto giants hope to bounce back against the Natal Rich Boyz on Tuesday at the uMhlathuze Stadium. This will surely be a defining moment for co-coaches Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze.
The South Africa international is one of the new players that the Brazilians signed in the January transfer window. However, he had to endure some time on the sidelines as he recovered from an injury sustained while on loan at Orbit College from the Buccaneers. It is interesting to see how he will impact his new team this season.
Within a month, Amakhosi faced big setbacks in the season, and questions remain about whether they can quickly dust themselves off and return to winning ways. Elimination from the Nedbank Cup and the CAF Confederation Cup saw the Glamour Boys' trophy ambitions go up in smoke. Fans expected them to bounce back against their traditional rivals, but they were served additional heartbreak.
The Amakhosi co-coach was candid in his post-mortem of the 3-0 defeat to the Buccaneers in the Soweto Derby last weekend. Reflecting on the heavy loss, he admitted his side was their own worst enemies on the day and were to blame. The Burundian conceded that in a fixture as big as the derby, their players simply did not show up.
After facing off in the first Soweto derby of the season, both Bucs and the Sea Robbers are staring at bad news. Amakhosi and the Buccaneers will be in action in the midweek but will have to do duties without key players. The stars are suspended, meaning the coaches of the respective teams will have to look out for alternatives.
Orlando Pirates
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