The Premier Soccer League has rejected a request from Mamelodi Sundowns to postpone Wednesday evening’s clash with TS Galaxy, with the club asking for more time to come to terms with Motjeka Madisha’s passing.

This past Sunday morning, the South African football fraternity was rocked yet again by the road death of a player. The shocking news that the 25-year-old Madisha had passed away after the vehicle he was travelling in crashed into a steel pole and caught fire near Kempton Park, came just weeks after Anele Ngcongca’s passing under similar circumstances.

Madisha was reportedly declared dead on the scene by paramedics, whereafter the club issued a statement:

‘The family of Mamelodi Sundowns defender Motjeka “Ace” Madisha met with the pathologists early this morning to establish if the person who passed away in a car crash, late this past Saturday night on 12 December 2020, is indeed their son.

‘The nature of the horrific car crash that took place on the Zuurfontein Road near Chloorkop requires that all processes be followed by the necessary authorities with relevant expertise to confirm the identity of the driver.

‘The Madisha family requests privacy and the relevant protocols be followed during this difficult period of uncertainty. Mamelodi Sundowns will communicate further details after consultation with the Madisha family once the DNA test results have been released.’

Despite giving teams time to grieve in the past, the PSL has insisted that this game cannot be postponed due to several factors.

Reasons given for the refusal are:

• Adequate notice period (Rule 9.7 states member clubs need to submit a written request for the fixture change at least 10 days prior to the game). The league has the discretion to refuse or grant permission.
• Fixture changes to be granted under ‘exceptional circumstances’.

In the same letter, the league said it had obligations to its commercial partners and hence needed a ‘stable fixture’.

‘This season the fact of an incredibly congested fixture due to the impact of Covid-19, means there are even greater pressures on maintaining the fixture. Fixture changes that are not essential will place the completion of the season at risk,’ the letter further read.

‘Even where there are exceptional reasons the notice period is there to ensure the League is able to engage all other affected parties, hear their views, and ensure that arrangements that they have already made are impacted as little as possible. It is simply not possible, on such short notice, to properly consider the application, let alone process it. Again, please accept my condolences, but unfortunately the League is not able to postpone the fixture.’