Sports with Oarabile

Should the PSL bring back the Vodacom Challenge?

                                     Orlando Pirates v Tottenham Hotspur at the Vodacom challenge

The impact of having this kind of a tournament: It could be argued that there is a long way to go for teams in the PSL to catch up to Mamelodi Sundowns, considering the type of capital they have, the squad depth in the team and the amount of time they have been dominating for the past few years. Well, for the sake of seeking for improvement in the league, this kind of a tournament encouraged competitiveness from teams from preseason as having a tournament such as the Vodacom challenge, it revives more scouting reports for teams that are competing in the tournament and players competing in the tournament could get more exposure internationally as well. It also encourages teams to compete because all teams playing against each other globally will want to see who the best is. This also allows for teams to see where they can improve and also learn from other teams so that teams can have the best tactics moving forward into the season.

The gap between Mamelodi Sundowns and other PSL teams could be said to be far-fetched as fans are now starting to say that the PSL is the "farmers league" simply because it is starting to become too predictable now. Having such a tournament may not be the only formidable solution to close the gap, but it can be a starting point to bring competitiveness in the league throughout the season. 

Here are stats from the seasons when the PSL had tournaments such as the Vodacom challenge (courtesy of Global sports archive)

 

2008/2009 PSL season.

Some may say that it is unfair to compare the modern football game to stats from 2007 to 2009 but if the level of competitiveness was at an exceptional level during that time frame, would it be wrong to implement similar tactics that were done during that time? 

 #KeNako