South African football needs saving. Not in a headline-grabbing, “crisis mode” kind of way, but in a very real and sobering sense. Because if SuperSport United go down, we all lose.
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Now more than ever, relegation is beginning to feel like a frighteningly real possibility for the Tshwane giants.
Following the expulsion of Royal AM from the Betway Premiership, the log has shifted—and SuperSport find themselves joint-bottom of an adjusted 15-team table. Cape Town City are hovering dangerously close too, but it’s Matsatsantsa whose fall would cut the deepest.
There’s still hope.
SuperSport have five matches remaining. That’s 15 points up for grabs—15 points that could steer them out of danger and into relative safety. But here's the issue: they've only won five out of 23 matches this season. That is not survival form. That is the form of a team circling the drain!
But this is bigger than just stats. This is about what SuperSport represents in the larger scheme of South African football.
Look at the Bafana Bafana squad that played against Benin in the recent World Cup qualifier. Ronwen Williams, Grant Kekana, and Thalenthe Mbatha all started. On the bench? Oswin Appolis, Iqraam Rayners, Nyiko Mobbie, Ricardo Goss. Even Teboho Mokoena—suspended for the fixture—has SSU roots.
That’s not a coincidence. That’s a pipeline.
This club has served the national cause with quiet consistency. It has produced players, coaches, and even exports like Shandre Campbell, who is now making waves at Club Brugge. And let’s not forget Pitso Mosimane, arguably the greatest South African coach of all time, who launched his storied career at SuperSport.
They’ve been a model of stability in a league too often cluttered with chaos—whether it's the embarrassment of renamed, relocated teams or the farce of clubs disappearing mid-season. We’ve had too many flash-in-the-pan franchises—Moroka Swallows (in their most recent iteration), Tshakhuma, Marumo Gallants, and now Royal AM. These outfits add noise, not substance.
SuperSport, by contrast, have always stood for something: sound administration, continuity, and a youth system that actually works. Their choice to shift from high-profile signings to free agents and academy products was bold, necessary—and in hindsight, maybe risky. But it was done with purpose. They wanted sustainability, not stardom. Yes, it’s come at the cost of silverware. Yes, it’s part of why they’re in this mess. But clubs like this don’t deserve to disappear.
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And now the challenge is clear. The remaining fixtures are unforgiving: Orlando Pirates, Chippa United, Richards Bay, and Stellenbosch. Every match is a cup final now. Interim coach Andre Arendse, a legend in his own right, must dig deep and rally his troops for a great escape.
Because this isn’t just about SuperSport’s survival. It’s about protecting the integrity of the league. It’s about keeping the lights on at one of the few clubs that consistently invests in the future. It’s about giving South African football a chance to breathe—through the kind of professionalism and structure that only clubs like SuperSport can offer.
They must save themselves. For their own sake—and for ours. Because if SuperSport United fall, it won’t just be Tshwane that mourns. It will be all of us who love the game.
