It wouldn’t be harsh to say the 2025 PSL Awards ceremony was a disappointment because it’s simply an honest reflection. This has little to do with whether the winners, the issue lies in the lacklustre and uninspired presentation, and absence of the very people these awards are meant to celebrate, the players.
Soulless PSL spectacle
What should have been a night to celebrate the players, the very heartbeat of the PSL product, turned into a soulless spectacle. The whole ceremony looked pre-recorded which diluted the occasion and, frankly, stripped it of its significance. The event felt more like an administrative box-ticking exercise.
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What we were given instead were pre-recorded speeches, most of them echoing the same tired script. It was robotic and repetitive, devoid of genuine emotion or individual personality. They were painfully rehearsed, most recipients delivered near-identical lines and there was no spontaneity.
Even Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie read his Footballer of the Season announcement off a piece of paper, failing to add any flair to what should have been the climax of the night. The entire event lacked personality and it’s hard to say it was a celebration of elite footballers in South Africa.
Take Lucas Ribeiro, for example. On social media, he was visibly elated after being named both Footballer of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season. That’s the kind of raw emotion the ceremony needed, players celebrating with their peers and coaches
Drab packaging
Another glaring omission was the traditional announcement of prize money. In the past, figures were publicly revealed, adding prestige to the awards and recognising the financial value of the players’ performances. This year, the public was left to speculate.
At the end of the night, Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Ribeiro deservedly walked away with four awards, Footballer of the Season, Players’ Player of the Season, Top Goalscorer, and Goal of the Season. Even his brilliance couldn’t save the ceremony from its drab packaging.
The PSL has long been regarded as Africa’s top football league, and rightly so, but this ceremony did nothing to reflect that. There was no red carpet and no atmosphere. Instead, it felt like an afterthought.
It’s baffling that the PSL, hailed as the continent’s best domestic competition, delivered an event that lacked glamour, excitement, and authenticity. Gone are the days of red carpets, flashing cameras, and an electric atmosphere where the beautiful game’s finest mingled under one roof to celebrate a season of hard work and brilliance.
Rekindle the magic
The essence of what the awards should represent has been lost. It’s now up to the league’s leadership to rekindle the magic and to restore the prestige and energy that once made the PSL Awards the hottest event on the South African sporting calendar.
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The awards should be a tribute to those who entertain us throughout the season. Unfortunately, the 2025 edition fell flat. The passion was missing. It’s time for the league to regroup and reimagine this event. The players, the fans, and South African football as a whole deserve better.