Stellenbosch, one of the leading lights of South African football, has suffered a below-the-belt hit from the autocratic PSL.
Against their better wishes, the PSL has scheduled Stellenbosch to host their Nedbank Cup quarter-final fixture against Kaizer Chiefs at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday, March 8. As the hosts, Stellenbosch are entitled to the benefit of choosing a venue that meets the PSL's standards for staging matches.
Stellenbosch's home venue, Danie Craven Stadium, is off-limits for matches that attract large crowds. The next options were Athlone Stadium and Cape Town Stadium. However, Cape Town Stadium will be unavailable due to its use for the Cape Town Cycle Tour Expo at that time.
Athlone Stadium is also unavailable as it is set to host the second rounds of the HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 on March 7-8, featuring 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams.
After exploring available venue options, Stellenbosch secured Athlone Stadium for Sunday, March 9. However, the PSL informed Stellenbosch that they could not play then because Athlone Stadium was booked for a Betway Premiership fixture against Orlando Pirates the following Tuesday.
The PSL cited Fifa regulations, stating that there must be at least two full days between matches at any given venue.
At that point, Stellenbosch formally requested the PSL and their Premiership opponents, Pirates, to move the fixture from Tuesday to Wednesday. Both parties refused, and instead, the PSL booked Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
Unlike Stellenbosch, both the PSL and Pirates had alternative options but refused to budge. There are no rigid dates for cup fixtures, and if circumstances warrant it, the PSL could have adjusted the schedule to accommodate the host club. A case in point is the long-awaited Nedbank Cup last-16 clash between Milford FC and Sekhukhune United, which was only played on Sunday.
The PSL could have changed the date of this quarter-final, allowing the match to be played in Cape Town.
The simplest solution would have been for the PSL to move the Premiership fixture against Pirates from Tuesday to Wednesday. There was no compelling reason for Pirates to object, as their next match would have been played three days later instead of four.
Stellenbosch's request was reasonable, making the PSL and Pirates' stance surprising.
It does not help that the chairman of both Pirates and the PSL is the same person, raising a clear case of conflict of interest. Here, Pirates played a role in determining the fate of a fellow Premiership club, and the PSL, ideally run by independent officials, simply rubberstamped it.