The 2025/26 domestic football season came to an end over the weekend, and for Bloemfontein’s two Premier Soccer League clubs, the overriding feeling was relief for the teams as well as their invaluable supporters.
Both Siwelele FC and Marumo Gallants managed to avoid relegation and will again feature in the top flight next season. Siwelele secured their survival in April when they stunned the Soweto giants, Kaizer Chiefs, 2–0 at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein. Those crucial three points pushed them beyond the 30-point mark and effectively guaranteed their safety with four matches still to play.
It was a season of contrasting fortunes for the club formerly known as SuperSport United. Ironically, the previous campaign had also turned into a survival battle for Matsatsantsa A Pitori. Their 2024/25 fate hinged on completing the abandoned clash against Golden Arrows, which had been halted at half-time because of loadshedding at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville.
When the second half was eventually played, they earned enough points to narrowly avoid the promotion-relegation playoffs. That escape paved the way for the club’s rebrand and relocation to Bloemfontein.
The new-look Siwelele era began in dream fashion with a memorable 3–1 win over Arrows in front of a sold-out Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium crowd. The excitement around the club was immense, but the early optimism soon faded as the first half of the season became a grind, and relegation concerns started to grow.
The turnaround after the mid-season break, however, was impressive. From 23 January onwards, Siwelele lost only two of their final 15 league matches – a narrow 1–0 defeat to Chippa United in Gqeberha and a chaotic 7–4 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria.
Wins remained hard to come by, but their resilience proved decisive as seven matches ended in draws. That consistency eventually carried them to a respectable tenth-place finish in their debut season under the Siwelele banner.
For Marumo Gallants, though, the campaign was far more stressful. Gallants headed into the final weekend still looking nervously over their shoulders at the threat of the promotion-relegation playoffs.
They ended the season on a seven-match unbeaten run, although every game during that stretch ended in a draw, including Saturday’s goalless stalemate against Stellenbosch FC.
Those seven hard-earned points proved enough to keep them afloat. Gallants finished 14th on the table with 25 points, just one ahead of Magesi FC and the relegated Orbit College FC.
The final standings could easily have looked very different. Had Orbit managed to beat the newly crowned champions, Orlando Pirates, on the final day, Gallants would have been forced into the playoffs instead.
It was another turbulent season for Gallants, both on and off the field. Boardroom politics, court battles, and coaching uncertainty all played a role. Coach Alexandre Lafitte was axed during the campaign, while Jamil Benouahi’s appointment created even more confusion after he briefly appeared in the dugout before disappearing from the picture altogether.
Having now survived relegation in each of the past two seasons since relocating to Bloemfontein, Gallants must use the off-season to find stability. The club showed flashes of promise, particularly during its run to the Carling Knockout Cup final in December, but unless there is greater consistency and clarity behind the scenes, another relegation scrap could be waiting next season. – MORGAN PIEK
