The curtain for the 2022/23 DStv Premiership season has come down and as always there have celebrations for some teams and tears for some, while others remain hopeful for different reasons.
After Mamelodi Sundowns were officially crowned as the champions last Tuesday, Orlando Pirates will join them on the journey to the CAF Champions League in the next installment of the competition after finishing second on the log, following the last round of fixtures played this past weekend.
On the other end of the table, Marumo Gallants have been relegated to the Motsepe Foundation Championship after finishing 16th, while 15th-placed Maritzburg United will have their fate decided through the relegation/promotion play-offs where they will be contesting with Cape Town Spurs and Casric Stars who finished second and third respectively in the second tier.
Speaking to the Siya crew, four-time league-winning coach Gordon Igesund discusses the season that has been with reference to both leagues.
The Good
Fantastic Mamelodi Sundowns!
"Congratulations to Sundowns, they have had an outstanding season and they keep raising the bar higher. I hope that what they keep achieving will motivate the other teams to improve. I hope the other teams will be as competitive. Sundowns have done a fantastic job in that regard and they do their business the way it should be done and they are a very professional outfit and the coach (Rulani Mokwena) has done a fantastic job. I mean, the whole team and the technical team is working, and especially Thlopie (Motsepe) as the chairman, I want to say congratulations to him because he's got his young head on his shoulders. He is very matured and he talks very well and I'm so happy for him as the young chairman who is doing so well," said Igesund.
Orlando Pirates' Return To CAF Champions League
"It could have gone either way (between Pirates and SuperSport United). Pirates did really well towards the end of the season and they had some good results under Jose Riveiro. It was an interesting race between them and SuperSport and I think both coaches, Gavin (Hunt) and Jose did very well. He (Riveiro) did a very good job under the different circumstances because he was always chasing. Pirates, SuperSport and all of the other teams were chasing. It was an exciting season that wasn't supposed to be as exciting with one team winning by far," the coach said.
The Bad
Marumo Gallants' Relegation
"I don't want to talk about them as the team that got relegated, you know, they had a good season and competed in the CAF Confederation Cup. I think they did fantastically well there but I don't know what led to their relegation, I can't tell. I can't talk about what they should have or shouldn't have done but they did fantastically well by reaching the semi-finals of the Confederation Cup and made a lot of money but that maybe cost them their franchise in the championship. But it's so strange for a team to do so well in one competition and struggle in the other but these things happen in football," he said.
The Ugly
Cape Town Spurs Missing Out On Automatic Promotion
"It was very discouraging for Spurs because they had a very good season. But in the end, they didn't win the game they had to win. University of Pretoria played their game like it was a cup final and that's how the game should be played. Unfortunately for Spurs, they didn't get automatic promotion. But they've got a chance still although history doesn't give them much of a chance because most of the time most of the teams that win the play-offs come from the Premier League," the mentor said.
Interesting Play-Offs Anticipated
"Are we going to see a change this year on the team that wins the play-offs to change what's on the history books? I think the play-offs are going be very interesting," concluded Igesund.
Will Maritzburg Retain Their Topflight Status?
