Cape Town City now faces a crucial battle to retain their top-flight status, as they are confirmed to participate in the upcoming PSL promotion and relegation playoffs.
Their fate was sealed after being narrowly edged out of the coveted 14th place by SuperSport United, highlighting just how tight the race for survival was in the final stages of the league campaign. The Citizens will now need to dig deep to ensure their continued presence in the Betway Premiership.
The 1-1 stalemate between SuperSport United and Golden Arrows sealed the fate of the relegation battle. Both sides ended the 2024/25 season on 27 points, but it was Cape Town City's worse goal difference that ultimately consigned them to the playoff spot.
The outcome was shaped in part by the teams’ originally scheduled clash back in February, which marked a milestone for SuperSport coach Gavin Hunt—his 1000th match in South African football.
That match was ultimately abandoned at halftime due to load shedding, with the score deadlocked at 1-1. The goals that had been scored before the interruption came from Christian Saile and Velemseni Ndwandwe.
The suspended match was, on Thursday midday, completed at Lucas Moripe Stadium, with only the second half being played. Despite both sides pushing hard for a winner, the score remained unchanged throughout those 45 minutes, resulting in a goalless conclusion to the resumed fixture.
ARROWS’ HOPES FOR TOP EIGHT DASHED
The draw also dashed Golden Arrows’ hopes of qualifying for the MTN8. They needed a win to leapfrog Richards Bay into eighth place, but would have required a five-goal margin to do so—an unlikely feat that ultimately didn’t materialize.
However, that would have taken an unlikely six-goal margin triumph for Abafana Bes’thende in order for them to sweep away the Natal Rich Boyz from the eighth position.
