Why 2018 holds so much in store for South African football
The year 2018 holds much in store for South African football.
SowetanLIVE assembles the five most important dates:
March 24 – South African Football Association (Safa) presidential elections
Incumbent Danny Jordaan has already announced his intention to stand for re-election but might face stiff opposition.
Some of Jordaan’s decision-making – such as becoming mayor of Port Elizabeth‚ which seemed to distract from his football posting‚ and over-riding the recommendations of his technical committee to appoint Stuart Baxter as Bafana Bafana coach – have not been popular.
However the skilled politician has already begun campaigning and is believed to crucially have strong support among Safa’s 52 regions.
May 12 – Absa Premiership champions crowned
The 2017-18 league title will be decided on this day.
Will Mamelodi Sundowns‚ currently four-point leaders with a game in hand on the next four teams‚ cruise it‚ or can someone play catch-up?
May 13 - National First Division champions crowned
The PSL might hold all the prestige‚ glamour and attention‚ but the most expensive matches in football are those that decide who gets promoted or relegated to and from the cash-rich top-flight.
Currently Highlands Park‚ relegated from the PSL last season‚ lead the NFD with 30 points from 15 games‚ but Jomo Cosmos are breathing down their necks in second place with 28 points‚ and Jomo Sono’s team will be hungry for yet another return to the top league.
Who can hang on to be crowned champions‚ and seal promotion‚ come mid-May?
September 8 – South Africa v Libya
Bafana play the second and perhaps most crucial match of their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Libya at a venue in South Africa still to be announced on this day. Having beaten Nigeria away in their opener‚ Bafana can put themselves in a very strong position against currently 88th-ranked Libya in Group E.
With the top two teams progressing‚ Bafana would then need to surely comfortably beat group whipping boys Seychelles in their back-to-back fixtures in October to be all but through to Cameroon 2019.
November 16 – South Africa v Nigeria
Assuming all goes to plan against Libya and Seychelles (which one should never assume as a given – let’s not forget how Bafana bottled it in the World Cup qualifiers against Cape Verde this past year)‚ Bafana probably will not need a result against Nigeria at home.
But this is always a grudge match‚ and now even more so given that‚ in Baxter’s first match in charge‚ Bafana beat the Super Eagles for the first time in a competitive match in their Afcon 2019 opening qualifier in Uyo on June 10.
Nigeria will arrive wanting to reassert their 24-year dominance immediately‚ and for Bafana there is the opportunity to truly shake off their nightmare inferiority complex against South Africa’s continental economic rivals‚ making this a huge fixture for both teams.