PSL’s fixture chaos can’t be normalised

If one club already knows the outcome elsewhere, it gains an advantage.

There is simply no justification for Mamelodi Sundowns completing their 2025/26 Betway Premiership season against TS Galaxy on Tuesday while the rest of the league is still playing catch-up.

PSL chaos

For a league that constantly speaks about professionalism and credibility, this scheduling chaos sends the exact opposite message. What makes it worse is the deafening silence from the PSL’s media department.

ALSO READ: Leon nets hat-trick as Sundowns put seven past Siwelele

There has been little to no communication explaining how decisions like these are made. Fans are left to connect the dots themselves and that is dangerous for the integrity of the game.

This is now the second straight season in which Sundowns have wrapped up their campaign before everyone else. At what point does this stop being brushed aside as coincidence and start being recognised as a serious flaw in the league’s scheduling?

A title race is supposed to build towards drama, tension and uncertainty. Instead, the league has once again managed to drain the climax out of what should have been a thrilling battle between Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.

Yes, the PSL will point to broadcaster obligations and sponsorship commitments. However, leagues around the world deal with the same pressures without compromising competitive fairness.

And no, Sundowns reaching the CAF Champions League Final against AS FAR can’t be used as a convenient shield for poor planning. Fixture lists are not carved in stone, and they are adjusted all the time when circumstances arise.

Simultaneous fixtures make sense

Around the football world, the final round of league fixtures is almost always played simultaneously for one reason, that is to protect the integrity of the competition because the principle matters.

When teams know exactly what result is required before kicking a ball, the competition is immediately compromised. That is precisely why every final-day fixture in the Premier League kicks off at the same time.

The Premier League explicitly states that this is done to “retain the integrity of the competition” when multiple teams still have something significant at stake. The logic is obvious because if one club already knows the outcome elsewhere, it gains an advantage.

ALSO READ: Cardoso concerned by schedule but vows to fight

Imagine the spectacle South African football could have had if the final matches were played simultaneously with goal difference potentially deciding the title in real time. Instead, we are left with an anti-climax and yet another unnecessary debate about fairness.