The fans of Motjeka Madisha, who was killed in a horrific car crash on Sunday, 13 December, are angry with the Premiere Soccer League (PSL) for turning down Mamelodi Sundowns' request to postpone its latest match against TS Galaxy on Tuesday, 15 December.
The football club and its players had made the request stating that they wanted more time to grieve the passing away of its top player Motjeka Madisha. The 25-year old was killed in an accident when his car caught fire after crashing into a steel pole in Kempton Park in South Africa. The death news came as a shock to the whole football fraternity.
Sundowns are scheduled to play its latest match against TS Galaxy held at Loftus Stadium at 7.30 pm. The club had sent a letter requesting the PSL to postpone the clash to later date following Madisha's death. However, the PSL turned down the request stating that the fixture can only be changed under "exceptional circumstances" as the league has obligations to its sponsors, a report on Soccer Laduma website said.
"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 website quoted the letter from the PSL as saying.
Angry Reactions:
This has not gone well with the fans of Sundowns who are demanding the PSL to postpone the match using the hashtag - #PostponeSundownsMatch - on Twitter. The netizens have slammed the football association for its "double-standards" by citing the earlier instances when the PSL postponed the scheduled matches.
The PSL had postponed the matches when Free State Stars' winger Sinethemba Jantjie was killed in 2019 and following the death of Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa in 2014.
Check out the Fans' Reactions:
Mapholoba Raising hands: #PostponeSundownsMatch show some respect @OfficialPSL, we are talking about a full @BafanaBafana international player here. @SAFA_net please intervene this is not right at all, we are humans before anything else.
Noah: #PostponeSundownsMatch Dear chairman of pls we request u and ur board to postpone the game of @masandawana against Ts galaxy before 12noon today.
Ntate_Sam: #PostponeSundownsMatch with immediate effect, we should not even be debating this
Cboeh Mthembu_09: @OfficialPSL respect this young man and treat everyone in same way #postponeSundownsMatch #RIPMadisha
Sello Mofokeng: Loyalty, love and support to your favorite FC should not blind you to the fact that what @OfficialPSL is doing is wrong, on so many levels. #PostponeSundownsMatch #PostponeSundownsMatch #PostponeSundownsMatch #PostponeSundownsMatch #PostponeSundownsMatch #PostponeSundownsMatch
Adolf Rivombo: Dear Football lovers, let's spread the word... we need them to
#PostponeSundownsMatch if possible all the PSL matches for this week...
Let's make it trend : #PostponeSundownsMatch
Sello Mofokeng: We used to complain as South Africans that Issa Hayatou was running CAF like his spaza shop and had been it's head for decades and yet we are mum when colonel and his cronies have been doing same for years now, hence so much bias treatment against #Downs #PostponeSundownsMatch
Ubaba ka Melusi: Dear @OfficialPSL
Can you please please #PostponeSundownsMatch and allow Sundowns players to grieve their friend and colleague. We really want to win this league but not like this fam. Can someone speak some sense into the chairman's head. Thank you
NATHANWolf face: #PostponeSundownsMatch us as supporters we're feeling the painBroken heart our hearts are still broken about the passing of Madisha, What about the player's who used to see the guy on their everyday's life? Please have a heart and postpone the game!#PostponeSundownsMatch
