Football fans will agree that not long ago "The Big Three", Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, were always favourites to win silverware as they had made a habit of being title contenders each time they play in a tournament. However, this has started to change over the past few seasons.
Mamelodi Sundowns have been dominant in recent seasons, but the Soweto giants have struggled to keep up with the teams around them, especially, in Chiefs’ case, after the departure of Stuart Baxter as coach in 2015.
Teams like SuperSport United, Bidvest Wits, Cape Town City have gone from strength to strength in each season. The club formerly known as Mpumalanga Black Aces already showed potential to be a great side, with players like Thabo Qalinge and Themba Zwane almost reaching their full potential. Even when they left the club, under the name of Cape Town City, they have managed to build on the momentum from the seasons before as they grew stronger.
SuperSport United, on the other hand, have collected several trophies over the years, including three consecutive titles between 2008 and 2010.
Lastly, there is Gavin Hunt's Bidvest Wits, a squad that boasts talent, with a coach who is an expert in gelling players and getting results quickly. Wits has proven to be a threat to "The Big Three" and maybe we will have "The Big Five/Six" in seasons to come.
Do you think we’ve seen the end of the “big three in South Africa?
*This article was written by a Soccer Laduma reader and reflects their opinion, not that of Soccer Laduma.
