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Local football fans whose faces had turned green arguing for PSL action to continue over the festive season are in for a treat this time around, if a leaked draft fixture list doing the rounds is to be believed.
In what would be a first for the PSL, the list claims that there will be league matches on New Year’s Eve.
Fans in Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape will bid goodbye to the year 2022 with a feast of football on Saturday, December 31.
KwaZulu-Natal fans will particularly be spoilt for choice when DStv Premiership rookies Richards Bay host Swallows in Umlazi, and Lamontville Golden Arrows host Kaizer Chiefs in KwaMashu.
The province’s interest on the day will also extend to AmaZulu supporters, who will be glued to their screens as Usuthu confront Sekhukhune United in Polokwane, Limpopo.
There will be two matches in the Mother City as another KwaZulu-Natal club, Royal AM, will be away at Cape Town City, while Chippa United will travel along the Cape Coast to face off against Stellenbosch in the Winelands.
Defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns will welcome Orlando Pirates at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Johannesburg.
In England and other top European leagues, for example, the Boxing Day fixture is a major drawcard. In cricket, the Boxing Day slot is the most sought-after.
The leaked fixture list shows that the opening round of the 2022/23 season will kick off with Sundowns travelling to Cape Town City on August 5.
Chiefs will open their campaign with a trip to Chatsworth to face Royal AM on August 6, while, on the same day, the original Soweto derby will see Orlando Pirates take on Swallows at Orlando Stadium.
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Premiership rookies Richards Bay will start life in the top flight with a KwaZulu-Natal derby away against Lamontville Golden Arrows.
But the Soweto derby between arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Pirates – the most anticipated fixture on the domestic football calendar – is without a doubt what the fans will be rubbing their hands together for. According to the leaked fixture list, Chiefs and Pirates will do royal battle on October 29, with the corresponding fixture said to be played on February 25 2023.
The PSL had already released the official start dates and other important dates for the 2022/23 season, but not the complete fixture list.
The NFD will roll into action on the weekend of September 2, and the last matches before the 2022 Fifa World Cup break will be played on the weekend of November 4.
The date of release of players for the 2022 Fifa World Cup will be November 14.
The last day of the premiership season will be May 20 2023, followed by the Nedbank Cup final on May 27.
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It is understood the list doing the rounds is merely a draft sent to the 16 premiership clubs for comment. It is subject to slight alterations, which will be guided by the yet-to-be-announced dates and fixtures for the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.
Once the clubs have made their inputs, the PSL will release the official fixture list.
The traditional early season knockout tournament, the MTN8, is set for the weekend of August 12.
