Call it the final stretch if you may because the Absa Premiership race has taken a new twist which has now brought out a new dimension on who is likely to be crowned champions come the end of the 2019/20 season. At one stage, it was almost a forgone conclusion that Kaizer Chiefs would annex the title from defending champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, but as unpredictable football can be, a lot of spanners have been thrown into the works. This past weekend saw results that few expected as the title race mounts massive momentum. Chiefs lost to Eric Tinkler’s Maritzburg United at the FNB Stadium, a result few Khosi faithful saw coming but again United have had similar results against Chiefs in their past five games (three wins, one draw and one loss). Is it not rewarding to see Maritzburg United pushing for a top eight finish for a team that had to deal with promotion/relegation play-offs prior to the start of the current season? Call it a lesson well learnt for Tinkler and his chargers. Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates upset the apple cart as they registered their fifth win on the trot which puts them only six points behind leaders Chiefs. SuperSport United, who at one stage looked like a dark horse, seem to have lost the momentum that saw them mount a serious challenge and their Tshwane rivals, Sundowns, are back in the mix. It would be too ambitious of anyone to entertain thoughts of Bidvest Wits winning the championship, when at one stage, they seemed to be part of the dark horses that could tilt the race in their favour. However, football being football, one can never say never. I would safely put my head on the block and declare that the 2019/20 Absa Premiership champions will either be Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates or Mamelodi Sundowns. On the opposite end its melancholy for the Limpopo teams; Baroka, Black Leopards and Polokwane City. There is a high likelihood that one of them may get straight relegation and the other may have to contest in the play-offs. Time will tell, but whatever it tells, I hope Limpopo teams will not be compromised.
