The 1998–99 Premier Soccer League, known as the 1998–99

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Premiership for sponsorship purposes, was the third season of the

Premier Soccer League Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

since its establishment in 1996. The season began on 31 July 1998 and ended on 9 June 1999.

Mamelodi Sundowns Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria in the Gauteng province that plays in the Premier Soccer League, the first tier of South African football l ...

became the first team in PSL history to defend their title as they won their second straight PSL title and their fifth South African title after previously winning the PSL's predecessor - the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

- on three occasions (1988, 1990 and 1993). In a hotly contested title race between Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs it came down to goal difference to separate the two as both finished on a joint record 75 points. A margin of +5 in goal difference was all that separated the two teams as Sundowns won their second in what would be a hat-trick of PSL titles. As before, the league was contested by 18 teams, sixteen returning from the 1997–98 season and two newly promoted clubs; Dynamos and Seven Stars. The league would also continue to run parallel to the European football calendar (August–May) and not run concurrently with the African football calendar (January–December).

Season summary

In what would become the most thrilling title race in PSL history,

and Kaizer Chiefs - finishing as runners-up for the third successive season - were in a class of their own as they finished 15 points ahead of third place and in the process scored 10 more league goals than the next best team. Both clubs ended the season with a record 75 points but the ''Brazilians'' lifted the trophy thanks to a superior goal difference (+44 versus Chiefs’ +39) after a gripping finale to the season that saw them at a level pegging for the last four rounds of league games. A 5-1 win on the last day of the season over Dynamos wasn’t enough for the ''Amakhosi'', as Sundowns’ 2-0 win over

Cape Town Spurs A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. T ...

put them top of the pile and handed them a second successive title.

Orlando Pirates Orlando Pirates Football Club (often known as "The Buccaneers") is a South African professional football club based in the Houghton suburb of the city of Johannesburg and plays in the top-tier system of Football in South Africa known as DStv ...

again finished third, 15 points off the pace of the top two.

Manning Rangers Manning Rangers is a now defunct South African football club based in Durban. The side is best remembered as the Champions of the Inaugural season of South Africa's Premier Soccer League. History The club was founded in 1928 by GR Naidoo who, ...

came in fourth, level on points with the ''Buccaneers'' for the second season in a row, while newly promoted Seven Stars had a fairlytale run into fifth place.

Qwa Qwa Stars Free State Stars Football club is a South African professional football club based in Bethlehem, Free State that plays in the National First Division. Formerly known as Makwane Computer Stars and Qwa Qwa Stars, their most significant honour ...

came in sixth with

Bloemfontein Celtic Bloemfontein Celtic Football Club (simply known as Celtic) is a South African amateur football club based in Bloemfontein that competes in the ABC Motsepe League, the third tier of the South African football league system. Bloemfontein Celtic has ...

and SuperSport United rounding out the top-eight in seventh and eighth places respectively.

Soweto Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

giants Moroka Swallows continued to disappoint as they endured a terrible season, ending 15th on the log, while Santos finished just above the relegation zone once again, albeit a lot more comfortably than they did a year ago. The unfortunate duo to get the chop were newly promoted Dynamos and

Vaal Professionals Vaal Professionals were a South African football (soccer) club. Based in Vereeniging, they were a founder member of the Premier Soccer League Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local ...

. Dynamos finished six points away from Santos and safety while Vaal Professionals endured a miserable season, amassing a dismal 21 points. Both relegated teams set unwanted records during the season as the impotent Dynamos bagged a record low 20 goals while the Vaal Professionals' porous defence shipped a record high 74 goals. Sadly, much like Real Rovers - who had been relegated the year before - relegation would prove disastrous for Vaal Professionals as they would not return to the PSL and would cease to exist entirely by the end of the decade.

Final table

References

External links

RSSSF on PSL 98/99
{{DEFAULTSORT:Premier Soccer League 1998-99 Premier Soccer League seasons, 1998-99 1998–99 in African association football leagues 1998–99 in South African soccer