Nedbank Cup trophy on display The Nedbank Cup trophy on display. Photo: PSL on X
Image: PSL on X
The Premier Soccer League on Tuesday announced the dates and venues for the Last 16 of the Nedbank Cup.
The games will be played between February 12th and 16th, and gives teams a little over a week to prepare for the next round of the Cup competition.
As previously reported, the Last 16 will see a number of mouthwatering ties, pitting minnows up against bigger teams with more resources.
Durban City – formerly Maritzburg United – will take on TS Galaxy while Orlando Pirates will play Baroka. Kaizer Chiefs, the other Soweto giants, will entertain Chippa United, and Mpheni Home Defenders will have the daunting task of keeping the mighty Mamelodi Sundowns at bay.
Marumo Gallants will play AmaZulu, while Polokwane City will travel to the Cape Winelands to face Stellenbosch FC. And in Tshwane, second tier strugglers, the recently relegated Cape Town Spurs will play SuperSport United.
And then there’s the matter of Sekhukhune United’s game against the winner of the match between Royal AM and Milford FC, which to this day, is yet to be played for obvious reasons.
In announcing the fixture dates, the PSL have completely ignored the massive elephant in the room which is Royal AM and their troubled season.
Shauwn Mkhize’s Thwihli Thwahla, as football fans are aware, have not played a single game since the turn of the year due to the financial mess the club find themselves in. A week ahead of their game against Milford, the PSL came out and said the club’s fixtures had been postponed indefinitely.
As of Wednesday, that issue is nowhere near being resolved, and Sekhukhune United might find themselves in the same boat as Milford regarding their fixture against the KwaZulu-Natal-based side.
By not being decisive on the matter, the PSL have completely shot themselves in the foot and created a nightmare for teams to fulfil their cancelled fixtures against MaMkhize’s team.
Nedbank Cup Last 16 fixtures:
12 February: SuperSport United vs Cape Town Spurs
13 February: Stellenbosch FC vs Polokwane City
14 February: Durban City vs Vasco Da Gama/TS Galaxy
15 February: Marumo Gallants vs AmaZulu
15 February: Orlando Pirates vs Baroka
15 February: Kaizer Chiefs vs Chippa United
15 February: Royal AM/Milford vs Sekhukhune United
16 February: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Mpheni Home Defenders
IOL Sport