# 2011–12 South African Premiership

The 2011–12 South African Premiership, known as the ABSA Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and also commonly referred to as the PSL after the governing body, was the sixteenth season of the Premiership since its establishment in 1996.
Orlando Pirates were the defending champions, having won their third Premiership title, and in the process ended SuperSport United's 3 year grip on the championship. The season kicked off on 12 August 2011 and ended on 19 May 2012.
16 teams contested the season, including two newly promoted teams – yo-yo club Jomo Cosmos – who were promoted for the second time in 3 seasons after winning the 2010–11 National First Division champions' playoff 5–4 on penalties against Bay United, and Black Leopards who came through a four-way promotion playoff, defeating Bay United 2–0 over a two-legged final. Orlando Pirates secured the title with a 4–2 win against Golden Arrows on 19 May 2012. This was their fourth PSL title overall and the second in succession. At the bottom, Jomo Cosmos was automatically relegated to the First Division while Santos was relegated via the PSL Playoff Tournament.

## TV rights

The PSL announced that current digital broadcaster SuperSport had won the rights to continue broadcasting the PSL after their current contract expired at the end of the 2011–12 season. The new broadcasting deal will commence at the start of the 2012–13 season and is said to be worth R2 billion over five years. As with their outgoing contract, SuperSport will continue to lease a select number of matches to free-to-air public broadcaster SABC.

## Teams

The team finishing 16th and last during the 2010–11 season – Mpumalanga Black Aces – was automatically relegated from the Premiership while the team finishing 15th – Vasco da Gama – was entered into a four-way relegation/promotion playoff with 3 teams from the 2010–11 National First Division season, where they were comfortably beaten 4–2 on aggregate by Black Leopards in the semi-finals and thus relegated from the Premiership. As it was, both Black Aces and Vasco had been promoted in the previous season, so they each spent a single season in the top flight before going straight back down.
Jomo Cosmos and Black Leopards had finished first and second in the Inland Stream of the 2010–11 National First Division season. Cosmos, as champions of the Inland Stream, faced off against the champions of the Coastal Stream – Bay United – and beat them 5–4 on penalties after two goalless draws, thus securing promotion to the PSL. In the next phase of the relegation/promotion playoffs Black Leopards had taken on and defeated Vasco da Gama of the PSL over two legs and proceeded to reach the final of the playoffs, where they met Bay United. Leopards continued Bay United's heartbreaking end to their season by defeating them over two legs to earn a return to the PSL after two seasons out of the top flight.

### Stadiums and locations

Football teams in South Africa tend to use multiple stadiums over the course of a season for their home games. The following table will only indicate the stadium used most often by the club for their home games
| Team | Location of training field | Province | Home venue | Capacity |
| Ajax Cape Town | Cape Town (Parow) | Western Cape | Cape Town Stadium | 55,000 |
| AmaZulu | Durban (Durban North) | Kwazulu-Natal | Moses Mabhida Stadium | 54,000 |
| Bidvest Wits | Johannesburg (Braamfontein) | Gauteng | Bidvest Stadium | 5,000 |
| Black Leopards | Polokwane | Limpopo | Peter Mokaba Stadium | 45,000 |
| Bloemfontein Celtic | Bloemfontein | Free State | Seisa Ramabodu Stadium | 20,000 |
| Free State Stars | Phuthaditjhaba | Free State | Charles Mopeli Stadium | 35,000 |
| Golden Arrows | Umlazi | Kwazulu-Natal | King Zwelithini Stadium | 10,000 |
| Jomo Cosmos | Johannesburg | Gauteng | Makhulong Stadium | 15,000 |
| Kaizer Chiefs | Johannesburg (Soweto) | Gauteng | FNB Stadium (Soccer City) | 94,700 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | Pretoria (Arcadia) | Gauteng | Loftus Versfeld Stadium | 52,000 |
| Maritzburg United | Pietermaritzburg | Kwazulu-Natal | Harry Gwala Stadium | 10,700 |
| Moroka Swallows | Johannesburg (Soweto) | Gauteng | Dobsonville Stadium | 24,000 |
| Orlando Pirates | Johannesburg (Soweto) | Gauteng | Orlando Stadium | 36,400 |
| Platinum Stars | Rustenburg (Phokeng) | North West | Royal Bafokeng Stadium | 45,000 |
| Santos | Cape Town (Lansdowne) | Western Cape | Athlone Stadium | 25,000 |
| Supersport United | Pretoria (Atteridgeville) | Gauteng | Lucas Moripe Stadium | 28,900 |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Supplier | Shirt sponsor |
| Ajax Cape Town | Maarten Stekelenburg | Adidas | MTN |
| AmaZulu | Roger Palmgren | Adidas | SPAR |
| Bidvest Wits | Roger De Sa | Nike | Bidvest |
| Black Leopards | Sunday Chidzambwa | Umbro | MTN |
| Bloemfontein Celtic | Clinton Larsen | Reebok | MTN |
| Free State Stars | Steve Komphela | Umbro | Bonitas |
| Golden Arrows | Ernst Middendorp | Millé | MTN |
| Jomo Cosmos | Jomo Sono | Puma | |
| Kaizer Chiefs | Vladimir Vermezović | Nike | Vodacom |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | Johan Neeskens | Nike | Ubuntu Botho |
| Maritzburg United | Ian Palmer | Hummel | |
| Moroka Swallows | Gordon Igesund | Puma | VW |
| Orlando Pirates | Júlio César Leal | Adidas | Vodacom |
| Platinum Stars | Owen Da Gama | Puma | Royal Bafokeng |
| Santos | Boebie Solomons | Winner | Engen |
| Supersport United | Gavin Hunt | Under Armour | DStv |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Ajax CT | Foppe de Haan | Retirement | 21 May 2011 | End of season | Maarten Stekelenburg | 21 June 2011 |
| Orlando Pirates | Ruud Krol | End of contract | June 2011 | End of season | Júlio César Leal | 22 June 2011 |
| Amazulu | Manqoba Mngqithi | Sacked | 18 September 2011 | 15th | Roger Palmgren | 18 September 2011 |
| Black Leopards | Sunday Chidzambwa | Redeployed | 26 October 2011 | | Vladislav Heric | 26 October 2011 |
| Santos | Boebie Solomons | Redeployed | 8 December 2011 | 14th | Duncan Crowie | 8 December 2011 |
| Platinum Stars | Owen Da Gama | Suspended | 9 March 2012 | 13th | Cavin Johnson & Allan Freese | 9 March 2012 |
| Orlando Pirates | Júlio César Leal | Sacked | 12 March 2012 | | Augusto Palacios | 12 March 2012 |
| Kaizer Chiefs | Vladimir Vermezovic | Sacked | 12 April 2012 | | Ace Khuse | 12 March 2012 |
| Santos | Duncan Crowie | Caretaker period ended | 19 April 2012 | 15th | Mart Nooij | 19 April 2012 |
| Black Leopards | Vladislav Heric | Redeployed | 8 May 2012 | 14th | Sunday Chidzambwa | 8 May 2012 |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Orlando Pirates (C, Q) | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 39 | 26 | +13 | 58 | Qualification for 2013 CAF Champions League |
| 2 | Moroka Swallows | 30 | 15 | 11 | 4 | 48 | 34 | +14 | 56 | |
| 3 | SuperSport United | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 39 | 23 | +16 | 54 | Qualification for 2013 CAF Confederation Cup |
| 4 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 44 | 23 | +21 | 52 | |
| 5 | Kaizer Chiefs | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 35 | 23 | +12 | 50 | |
| 6 | Free State Stars | 30 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 48 | |
| 7 | AmaZulu | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 41 | |
| 8 | Bloemfontein Celtic | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 36 | 33 | +3 | 41 | |
| 9 | Ajax Cape Town | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 42 | 49 | −7 | 40 | |
| 10 | Platinum Stars | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 36 | |
| 11 | Maritzburg United | 30 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 26 | 38 | −12 | 34 | |
| 12 | Bidvest Wits | 30 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 31 | 38 | −7 | 33 | |
| 13 | Golden Arrows | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 40 | 48 | −8 | 32 | |
| 14 | Black Leopards | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 36 | 58 | −22 | 29 | |
| 15 | Santos (R) | 30 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 34 | 48 | −14 | 27 | PSL Playoff Tournament |
| 16 | Jomo Cosmos (R) | 30 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 24 | 46 | −22 | 19 | Relegation to National First Division |
* Winner of the 2012 Nedbank Cup will qualify for the 2013 CAF Confederation Cup.

## Results

| Home \ Away | AJX | AMZ | BVW | BLP | BLC | FSS | GOL | JC | KZC | MLS | MAR | MOR | ORL | PLA | SAN | SUP |
| Ajax Cape Town | | 2–4 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| AmaZulu | 4–0 | | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 |
| Bidvest Wits | 1–1 | 3–1 | | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Black Leopards | 3–1 | 1–4 | 1–2 | | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–5 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Bloemfontein Celtic | 4–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | | 1–0 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Free State Stars | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Golden Arrows | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–3 | 2–0 | | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 |
| Jomo Cosmos | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 |
| Kaizer Chiefs | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | | 1–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| Maritzburg United | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Moroka Swallows | 3–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 |
| Orlando Pirates | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| Platinum Stars | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–4 | | 4–1 | 0–0 |
| Santos | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–5 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 1–2 | | 0–1 |
| SuperSport United | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 7–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | |

## Statistics

Top goalscorers As of May 19, 2012
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Siyabonga Nomvethe | Moroka Swallows | 20 |
| 2 | Eleazar Rodgers | Santos | 13 |
| 3 | Edward Manqele | Free State Stars | 11 |
| 4 | Lehlohonolo Majoro | Kaizer Chiefs | 10 |
| 4 | David Mathebula | Moroka Swallows | 10 |
| 4 | Benni McCarthy | Orlando Pirates | 10 |
| 4 | Katlego Mphela | Mamelodi Sundowns | 10 |
| 8 | Luyanda Bacela | Bloemfontein Celtic | 9 |
| 8 | Nyasha Mushekwi | Mamelodi Sundowns | 9 |
| 10 | Khama Billiat | Ajax Cape Town | 8 |
| 10 | Thamsanqa Gabuza | Golden Arrows | 8 |
| 10 | Kingston Nkhatha | Black Leopards | 8 |
Last updated: 19 May 2012 Source: Premier Soccer League

## Awards

The 2011–12 PSL Awards ceremony was held on 27 May 2012.

### PSL Footballer of the Year

The PSL Footballer of the Year was awarded to Siyabonga Nomvethe.
Palesa Shabalala The PSL Player of the Season was also awarded to Siyabonga Nomvethe.

### PSL Players' Player of the Season

The PSL Players' Player of the Season was also awarded to Siyabonga Nomvethe.

### PSL Red Hot Young Player of the Season

The PSL Red Hot Young Player of the Season was awarded to Ronwen Williams.

### PSL Coach of the Season

The PSL Coach of the Season was awarded to Gordon Igesund.

### PSL Top Goalscorer

The PSL Top Goalscorer award went to Siyabonga Nomvethe.

### PSL Goalkeeper of the Season

The PSL Goalkeeper of the Season award went to Wayne Sandilands.

### PSL Absa-lutely Awesome Goal of the Season

The PSL Absa-lutely Awesome Goal of the Season award went to Benni McCarthy.