Are Orlando Pirates on track to end Mamelodi Sundowns’ eight-year reign of terror?
Orlando Pirates lead the Betway Premiership standings, challenging Mamelodi Sundowns’ eight-year title reign despite Sundowns’ superior squad depth and valuation.
Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Media
For nearly a decade, the Betway Premiership has followed a familiar script: Mamelodi Sundowns set the pace, everyone else scrambles behind them, and the title inevitably ends up in Chloorkop. That certainty is now gone.
For the first time in eight years, Sundowns no longer feel inevitable.
The warning signs have been building for months, but this season they have become impossible to ignore. Sundowns are no longer imposing their will on matches, no longer suffocating opponents with control and precision, and no longer playing with the quiet arrogance of a team that knows the league belongs to them.
Instead, they look ordinary – and in a league they once bent to their rhythm, “ordinary” just isn’t good enough.
At the top of the table sits Orlando Pirates. Ever since Abdeslam Ouaddou took over as head coach of Ezimnyama ngenkani ezikamagebhula, they have played the type of football we saw from the Brazilians.
Ouaddou knows what he’s doing, and is flexible enough to switch things up when needed.
By contrast, Sundowns appear caught between identities. The fluent build-up play that defined them under Rulani Mokwena has faded in Miguel Cardoso’s tenure. Sundowns are now a team that often look hesitant, predictable, and strangely unsure of how to dominate games they once controlled with ease.
Of course, none of this guarantees a new champion in May. Sundowns still possess depth, experience, and a winning culture forged over years of dominance. And they’re only two points behind Pirates. But their strange hold on the Betway Premiership trophy that’s lasted for the last eight years is starting to loosen.
Eight years is an eternity in football. Dynasties do not end with a dramatic collapse; they end quietly, with small signs that go unnoticed until it is too late.
This season, those signs are everywhere.
IOL Sport
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