1999–2000 Premier Soccer League

Premier Soccer League
Season 1999-2000
Champions Mamelodi Sundowns
3rd PSL title
6th South African title
Relegated Mother City
AmaZulu
CAF Champions League Mamelodi Sundowns
African Cup Winners' Cup Kaizer Chiefs
CAF Cup Ajax Cape Town
Matches played 306
Goals scored 823 (2.69 per match)
Top goalscorer Daniel Mudau
Mamelodi Sundowns
(15 goals)[1]
Biggest home win Hellenic 6-0 Tembisa Classic
(14 August 1999)
Orlando Pirates 6-0 Free State Stars
(12 April 2000)
Bloemfontein Celtic 6-0 Mother City
(10 May 2000)
Biggest away win Santos 0-5 Hellenic
(8 December 1999)
AmaZulu 2-7 SuperSport United
(9 April 2000)
Highest scoring Tembisa Classic 5-4 Hellenic
(18 December 1999)
AmaZulu 2-7 SuperSport United
(9 April 2000)
(9 goals)
1998-99
2000-01

The 1999–2000 Premier Soccer League, known as the 1999-2000 Castle Premiership for sponsorship purposes, was the fourth season of the Premier Soccer League since its establishment in 1996. The season began on 30 July 1999 and ended on 4 June 1999. Mamelodi Sundowns once again managed to secure their crown, sealing their third successive PSL title. Along with their success in the PSL's predecessor - winning three National Soccer League titles in 1988, 1990 and 1993 - this gave Mamelodi Sundowns their 6th South African championship. Sundowns tallied 75 points for the season, equalling the points record they jointly set with Kaizer Chiefs last season, but unlike the previous season in which the title was decided by goal difference, there was no close title race this season as Sundowns finished comfortably ahead of second placed Orlando Pirates with an 11-point margin.

As before, the league was contested by 18 teams, sixteen returning from the 1997-98 season and two newly promoted clubs; the returning African Wanderers and Tembisa Classic. The league continued to run parallel to the European football calendar (August - May) and not run concurrently with the African football calendar (January - December).

Club mergers and name changes

Season summary

Mamelodi Sundowns clinched a record third successive Premier Soccer League title when they romped home in first place at the end of the 1999-2000 season. After a nail-biting finish to the 1998-99 season that saw Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs finish level on points, Sundowns had a much easier time securing the title this time around, finishing comfortably ahead of second placed Orlando Pirates. Chiefs, who had finished runners-up for the past three seasons, fell back to third place as they found themselves unable to replicate their performance from the 1998-99 season.

The newly created Ajax Cape Town had a strong season, finishing in fourth place on 53 points, with inaugural PSL champions Manning Rangers just behind them in fifth. Wits University, Jomo Cosmos and Hellenic rounded out the top eight. Newly promoted Tembisa Classic had a strong debut season, finishing in a respectable 9th place.

Popular KwaZulu Natal club AmaZulu and the newly formed Mother City found themselves at the wrong end of the table. After years of just avoiding the drop by finishing 14th, 15th & 14th over the course of the past three seasons, AmaZulu's luck finally ran out as they were relegated. Heading into the final day of the season AmaZulu found themselves level on points with African Wanderers - who had only just returned to the PSL following their relegation at the end of the 1997-98 season - with only goal difference separating them; AmaZulu's goal difference of -11 keeping them above African Wanderers who had a goal difference of -13. All AmaZulu had to do was equal or better African Wanderers' result on the final day of the season. For their final fixtures neither team had it easy as AmaZulu had to travel to face Ajax Cape Town while Wanderers had to host runners-up Orlando Pirates. In a thrilling result African Wanderers managed to put four goals past Pirates in a magnificent 4-3 win while AmaZulu suffered an agonising 2-1 defeat, putting both teams level on goal difference but moving Wanderers onto 39 points, three ahead of AmaZulu and into safety.

Mother City however never looked like they would survive. By season's end they had set PSL records for the fewest wins (2), most defeats (28), most goals conceded (85), worst goal difference (-63) and fewest points (10). Mother City conceded 4-goals or more on 6 occasions and twice conceded 6. Following their relegation the club would not return to the PSL and would only last for two more seasons in the National First Division before shutting down.

The 1999-2000 season was characterised by prolific goalscoring, with an average of 2.69 goals per match. Of particular interest were the games between Classic and Hellenic which featured a startling 15 goals. Classic had suffered a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Hellenic on 14 August 1999 but returned home and defeated Hellenic in a thrilling 9-goal affair, running out 5-4 winners. Other high scoring games included SuperSport United's 7-2 rout of AmaZulu in Mthatha and the pulsating 4-4 draw in Bloemfontein between Bloemfontein Celtic and Manning Rangers.

Final table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Notes, Qualifications & Relegations
1Mamelodi Sundowns (C) 3423656834+34752001 CAF Champions League First Round1
2Orlando Pirates 34181067236+3664Withdrew from participating in the 2001 CAF Cup2
3Kaizer Chiefs 34161264022+18602001 African Cup Winners' Cup First Round1
4Ajax Cape Town 34158114339+4532001 CAF Cup First Round1 & 2
5Manning Rangers 341410105449+552
6Wits University 34121573629+751
7Jomo Cosmos 34121484932+1750
8Hellenic 34138136245+1747
9Tembisa Classic 34135164857-944
10SuperSport United 341110135148+343
11Santos 3491694464-2043
12Moroka Swallows 34119143952-1342
13Bush Bucks 341011134848041
14Bloemfontein Celtic 341010144656-1040
15Free State Stars 34913122938-940
16African Wanderers 34116173850-1239
17AmaZulu (R) 3499163244-1236Relegated to the National First Division
18Mother City F.C. (R) 3424282285-6310

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
(C) = Champions; (R) = Relegated

1 Due to the PSL following a different football calendar to the rest of Africa, which runs over a single calendar year and not the international August–May calendar followed by the PSL, Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs & Ajax Cape Town were only eligible to enter the 2001 editions of the respective CAF competitions they qualified for.
2 Orlando Pirates, who had qualified for the 2001 CAF Cup, withdrew from the competition. As the cup was intended for league runners-up their place in the tournament was then extended to Kaizer Chiefs who had finished third, but they declined as they had already qualified for the more prestigious 2001 African Cup Winners' Cup. Pirates' place in the tournament was then extended to and taken by Ajax Cape Town.

References

  1. "Premier Soccer League: Top scorers' list". worldfootball.net.
  2. "Ajax Cape Town Club History". ajaxct.com. 5 August 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
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