Thursday’s ruling that Royal AM were to be expelled from the Betway Premiership – and football in general – came as a blow to several sides.
One of those sides affected was Kaizer Chiefs.
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The ruling indicated that all log points picked up by teams against Royal AM would be null and void.
Royal AM and Amakhosi played to a 2-2 draw on 30 November 2024.
That means the Glamour Boys will lose one log point.
A look at the updated Betway Premiership log now shows that Kaizer Chiefs have 29 points from 23 matches and have slipped to ninth place.
That’s now outside the top eight positions for MTN8 spots next season.
Considering all sides will now only play 28 matches, Kaizer Chiefs only have five fixtures remaining in which to secure a Top 8 finish.
While Kaizer Chiefs will be at home in three of those remaining matches, they face some tough assignments.
Four of their five remaining matches are against sides ranked above them in the standings, while the fifth is against the side immediately below them in the log.
Kaizer Chiefs’ remaining 2024/25 Betway Premiership fixtures
Saturday, 19 April: Chippa United vs Kaizer Chiefs – 17:30
Saturday, 26 April: Kaizer Chiefs vs Marumo Gallants – 15:00
Saturday, 3 May: Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates – 15:00
Saturday, 17 May: Sekhukhune United vs Kaizer Chiefs – 15:00
Saturday, 24 May: Kaizer Chiefs vs Polokwane City – 15:00
Updated Betway Premiership log
Orlando Pirates have beaten Kaizer Chiefs!
Meanwhile, football rivalries in South Africa don’t come any bigger than that between Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
As soon as the league fixtures are announced ahead of any season, fans of both sides are only interested in TWO matches – the derby matches.
In the 28 completed PSL top-flight seasons to date since the professional era kicked off in 1996/97, incredibly, Amakhosi and the Buccaneers have each finished higher in the standings than each other on 14 occasions.
The biggest difference in final positions for Kaizer Chiefs ahead of Orlando Pirates is 7 places (2016/17 season), while the biggest difference in positions for Orlando Pirates ahead of Kaizer Chiefs is 8 places (2023/24 season).
Recent form
Recent form has favoured Orlando Pirates – and at the same time illustrated just how far Kaizer Chiefs have fallen.
In the last seven seasons, Orlando Pirates have finished up ahead of Kaizer Chiefs on five occasions.
That stat was updated on Thursday to six out of the last eight seasons when Royal AM were booted out the league.
It’s all rather confusing – click here for a full explanation – but following Royal AM’s expulsion, all log points picked up by teams against them this season have been declared null and void.
In addition, the season will now be just 28 matches long for the remaining 15 sides.
Kaizer Chiefs lost one log point after their 2-2 draw against Royal AM last year, while Orlando Pirates didn’t play Shauwn ‘MaMkhize’ Mkhize’s side.
As a result, Kaizer Chiefs now have 29 points after 23 matches.
That means, in the highly unlikely event that the Glamour Boys win their final five matches – unlikely in the sense that they have only won eight of 23 matches to date – they will pick up a further 15 points.
That would leave Nasreddine Nabi’s side on 44 points.
Currently, Orlando Pirates are in second place in the log with 46 points after 20 fixtures.
That means it’s mathematically impossible for Amakhosi to finish ahead of their rivals Orlando Pirates.
It’s also almost a certainty that the Buccaneers will beat the Glamour Boys by a record points margin this season.
League champions
Both Kaizer Chiefs (2003/04, 2004/05, 2012/13, 2014/15) and Orlando Pirates (2000/02, 2002/03, 2010/11, 2011/12) have been crowned league champions on four occasions to date.
Mamelodi Sundowns lead the way with 14 titles (likely to be 15 come May), while SuperSport United (3) and Manning Rangers, Santos and Wits (one apiece) are the only other sides to have tasted success.
For the record, there’s one more Soweto derby league match remaining this season.
That clash will take place on Saturday, 3 May at the FNB Stadium at 15:30.
Orlando Pirates won the first Soweto derby earlier this season, 1-0, thanks to a penalty deep into second-half injury time by Patrick Maswanganyi.
Are you a Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates supporter?
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