Some 754 days will have elapsed between when supporters were last allowed into venues for domestic league and cup matches and their return for the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals next weekend.
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It has been a long wait since some 1 500 fans turned out at the Kanyamazane Stadium for a Nedbank Cup quarterfinal between home side TS Sporting and Bloemfontein Celtic on March 15, 2020, the last fixture in front of fans before the Covid-19 pandemic forced a shutout.
A lot has happened in the world since then, and there have also been major shifts in South African football too. SuperSport.com looks at what has happened between then and now.
Some big clubs are no more …
BidVest Wits, Bloemfontein Celtic and Highlands Park are three clubs no in the professional game since fans were last allowed into stadiums. Another famous name, Ajax Cape Town, is also gone after the club ended its association with the Dutch club and are now called Cape Town Spurs. Wits, Celtic and Highlands all sold their status as the financial crunch began to bite.
The legend of Pitso grows
Pitso Mosimane has won seven major trophies since March 2020, the DStv Premiership and Nedbank Cup with Mamelodi Sundowns before his move to Al Ahly, where he has won two CAF Champions Leagues, two CAF Super Cups and the Egyptian FA Cup. He has also won two bronze medals at the FIFA Club World Cup with Ahly.
A Soweto Derby like no other
There have been six Soweto Derbies played without fans, the first three won by Orlando Pirates and the next three by Kaizer Chiefs. Pirates won an MTN8 semifinal 5-0 on aggregate and followed that up with a 2-1 league success in January 2021. But since then it has been the AmaKhosi who have been celebrating as Chiefs claimed successive 2-1 victories this season to follow a 1-0 success in the previous campaign.
No stopping Sundowns …
Mamelodi Sundowns have scored 161 goals since games went behind closed doors, the vast majority with no supporters in the stands to see them. There have been latterly some in the CAF Champions League that have been witnessed live, but supporters of The Brazilians will have that privilege again soon.
The revolving door at Chippa
Chippa have had six different coaches since fans were barred from stadiums … which is actually not that bad for them! Rhulani Mokwena was in charge for just a single game, before Lehlohonolo Seema had the first of his two spells. Dan Malesela returned for yet another stint in there as well, while Siyabulela Gwambi was also given the reins for nine games. Things did not work out for Gavin Hunt, and the team is now being led by Kurt Lentjies. That represents two seasons, while Chippa have before also had six coaching changes in a single campaign!
Swallows and their draws …
Swallows FC have played 51 games in the DStv Premiership with no fans, and 29 of them have ended all square! That managed to set a PSL record of 20 draws in a single campaign during the 2020-21 season. How many of those would have been turned into wins if they had supporters in the stands?
Confused? Me too …
It will forever flummox historians that Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila had their name on the Nedbank Cup trophy in 2021, but then came back the following season to defend their title as Marumo Gallants while another Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila popped up in the second-tier and reached the quarterfinals of the competition in 2022. Same name, two different clubs. Imagine they won it this year, it would mean the ‘TTM’ name appears on the trophy twice in as many seasons, but it is two totally different clubs!
The Chiefs trophy drought goes on
Fans or no fans, one thing that has remained constant has been the inability of Kaizer Chiefs to win silverware. Their barren stretch now goes on for seven years, though to their credit they did manage to reach the CAF Champions League final in 2021. Perhaps it has helped the side to some extent that the stands have been empty as the AmaKhosi faithful’s impatience grows … what will be the reaction when they return?
Usuthu a tough nut
AmaZulu have only lost 11 of their 59 league games in the DStv Premiership since they started playing in front of empty stands, only Sundowns have been defeated in fewer games. That was not enough to keep Benni McCarthy in his job, but having hired ‘draw specialist’ Brandon Truter, the run could continue!
Only three …
There have only been three teams to lift silverware since supporters were no longer allowed into venues – Mamelodi Sundowns (2019/20, 2020/21 DStv Premiership, 2020 Nedbank Cup, 2022 MTN8), Orlando Pirates (2021 MTN8) and Marumo Gallants (2021 Nedbank Cup). With Sundowns on course for all three domestic trophies this season, it doesn’t look like that will change once fans are back on board!