Mokhoye Slams PSL Over Nedbank Cup Scheduling
Orbit College head coach Pogiso Mokhoye has criticised the Premier Soccer League (PSL) over the scheduling of his side’s Nedbank Cup round-of-32 match against Golden Arrows, saying his players were exhausted and reduced to “just bodies”.
The fixture was originally played at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday, but only 45 minutes were completed before it was abandoned due to severe weather conditions in Durban, including a heavy thunderstorm.
At the time of the stoppage, Golden Arrows were leading through Lungelo Nguse’s penalty. However, all records from the opening 45 minutes were nullified, as matches abandoned due to inclement weather are restarted from scratch.
The game was replayed on Sunday, with Arrows going on to record a 3–0 victory to advance to the last 16.
Mokhoye was left incensed by the decision to reschedule the match for the following day, revealing that his players only returned to their hotel close to midnight on Saturday after waiting several hours at the stadium to see whether play could resume.
He said Orbit College had sent emails to the league requesting that the match be played at a later date, citing travel fatigue after what he described as a “circus” journey to Durban.
“We brought bodies,” Mokhoye said.
“What happened yesterday [Saturday] is not fair for football. We are professionals. We cannot leave the stadium after three hours, get to the hotel at 10:30 at night, and then play again at 11am the following day.
“We had to write emails to [the PSL] to change the kick-off time to 1pm. Mentally, the players were not ready.
“We gave everything in the 45 minutes on Saturday. What was forcing everyone to play the game so early the next day?
“I wish I could be Golden Arrows. They are the home team and didn’t have to travel. We travelled from Rustenburg to Johannesburg for two hours, then took a flight to Durban. There was no extra day to rest, no freshness.”
Mokhoye also pointed to injuries sustained during the match, including Ramahlwe Mphahlele, which forced Orbit to make four substitutions.
“It is one of those days. Now we have to shift our focus to the league,” he added.
The coach confirmed that Orbit College had requested to play the match on Tuesday, but the proposal was rejected by the league.
“We asked them [the PSL] that we cannot play at 11am because it would favour Arrows. We wanted to play on Tuesday,” Mokhoye said.
“You need at least 48 hours to recover. At least give us 48 hours. This was a natural cause, not a man-made issue.
“The rules say when it is man-made, you can resume the remaining 45 minutes the next day. But this was nature. No one is at fault.
“We spent three hours in the dressing room in the cold. Mentally, the players were exhausted. Even if you are strong, you won’t survive.”
