Mamelodi Sundowns are inching closer to the CAF Champions League final following their 1-0 victory against Tunisian club Esperance in the first leg of their semi-final on Sunday evening. However, their advancement to the final poses a significant challenge for the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
The Brazilians will host the return leg in Pretoria on Saturday. Should they avoid defeat, they’ll secure a spot in the final for the second year running.
If they do proceed, the PSL faces a challenging situation as it scrambles to wrap up the Betway Premiership season by the May 24 deadline, which is crucial ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
The two-legged final of the Champions League is scheduled for the weekends of May 15-17 and May 24.
According to the PSL’s official fixtures on its website, Sundowns have already been exempted from the final round on May 23.
This decision contradicts the league’s regulations, which stipulate that all matches in the final two rounds of the championship must occur simultaneously to prevent any manipulation.
The match for Sundowns against Polokwane City, originally scheduled for that date, has been rescheduled to May 3, as per the PSL. Thus, they will face Polokwane twice in five days, resembling a two-legged league tie.
The consequence is that on the final day, there will be seven matches instead of eight.
Additionally, Sundowns have a fixture against TS Galaxy on May 16, which will also need to be postponed if they reach the Champions League final.
The only feasible date to reschedule is May 13, just before the first leg of the final. This scenario is far from ideal.
Unless the entire penultimate round is shifted to that date, it would conflict with the league’s rules.
This situation does not bode well for sponsors and broadcasters, as the climax of an exhilarating championship is pushed into midweek, away from the media spotlight.
This situation resembles last year when Sundowns also reached the final and did not participate in the final matchday of the season.
However, the crucial difference then was that they had already clinched the league title by that time. This season, the scenario could play out quite differently.
The league’s schedule is becoming quite convoluted, and the PSL must reconsider its calendar moving forward. Other leagues such as the Premier League, Bundesliga, or LaLiga don’t typically shuffle fixtures due to a team competing in the UEFA Champions League final.
The PSL might argue that they are subject to the unpredictable schedule set by CAF, which can change throughout the season and isn’t always fixed from the outset.
Yet, this predicament threatens to create a damp ending to what has been an exhilarating Betway Premiership title race.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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