# 2008–09 South African Premiership

The 2008–09 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 thirteenth season of the Premiership since its establishment in 1996.
Supersport United were the defending champions, having won their first Premiership title on the final day of the previous season. The campaign began in August 2008, ended in May 2009. A total of 16 teams contested in the league, 14 of which contested in the 2007–08 season, and two of which were have been promoted from the National First Division.

## Season summary

Supersport United defended their title to win their second consecutive Premiership title. Orlando Pirates came close to taking the title in the final game. Both teams were tied at the top of the points table with 55 points each. Supersport United had a greater goal difference with 23 goals over Orlando Pirates's 17 goals.
Bay United were relegated to the National League after finishing at the bottom of the table on 21 points. Thanda Royal Zulu entered a playoff with teams from the National League to determine if they would retain their place in the Premiership or be relegated to the National League after ending 15th on the league table with 33 points.
Bloemfontein Celtic survived relegation on goal difference, ending 14th on the league table with 33 points. They were tied with Thanda Royal Zulu, but their goal difference were greater than that of Thanda Royal Zulu.

## Clubs

* Ajax Cape Town
* AmaZulu
* Bay United
* Bidvest Wits
* Bloemfontein Celtic
* Free State Stars
* Golden Arrows
* Kaizer Chiefs
* Mamelodi Sundowns
* Maritzburg United
* Moroka Swallows
* Orlando Pirates
* Platinum Stars
* Santos
* Supersport United
* Thanda Royal Zulu

## Promotion and relegation
### Pre-Season

Teams promoted from 2007–08 National First Division
* Champions (Coastal Stream): Maritzburg United
* Play-offs: Bay United
Teams relegated to 2008–09 National First Division
* Last in Premiership: Black Leopards
* Play-offs: Jomo Cosmos

### Post-Season

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Carara Kicks | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 2 | Mpumalanga Black Aces | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | |
| 2 | Mpumalanga Black Aces | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | Mpumalanga Black Aces | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| | | | | | 15 | Thanda Royal Zulu | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Thanda Royal Zulu | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | Thanda Royal Zulu | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | F.C. Cape Town | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
* Champions of the Inland Stream Jomo Cosmos took on Champions of the Costal Stream Carara Kicks in a two leg playoff for promotion to the Premiership.
* The first leg of the play-off saw the match end in a goalless draw at the Charles Mopeli Stadium on 7 May 2009.
* The second leg of the play-off saw Jomo Cosmos win Carara Kicks 2 – 1 at Vaal Technikon on 10 May 2009 to see Jomo Cosmos promoted to the Premiership.
* Thanda Royal Zulu who finished 15th on the Premiership table will go into a mini play-off tournament with Carara Kicks (who lost their play-off match with Jomo Cosmos), Mpumalanga Black Aces (who finished second in the Inland Stream) and F.C. Cape Town (who finished second in the Costal Stream).
* Carara Kicks will face Mpumalanga Black Aces and Thanda Royal Zulu will face F.C. Cape Town
Teams promoted from 2008 to 2009 National First Division
* Champions (Inland Stream) Jomo Cosmos
* Play-offs: Mpumalanga Black Aces
Teams relegated to 2009–10 National First Division
* Last in Premiership: Bay United
* Play-offs: Thanda Royal Zulu

## League table

2008 Premiership :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Supersport United (C) | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 45 | 22 | +23 | 55 | 2010 CAF Champions League |
| 2 | Orlando Pirates | 30 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 37 | 20 | +17 | 55 | 2010 CAF Champions League |
| 3 | Kaizer Chiefs | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 37 | 32 | +5 | 50 | |
| 4 | Free State Stars | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 38 | 24 | +14 | 47 | |
| 5 | Golden Arrows | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 44 | 28 | +16 | 46 | |
| 6 | Bidvest Wits | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 42 | 33 | +9 | 46 | |
| 7 | Ajax Cape Town | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 36 | 34 | +2 | 46 | |
| 8 | AmaZulu | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 42 | |
| 9 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 40 | |
| 10 | Santos | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 28 | 31 | −3 | 39 | |
| 11 | Moroka Swallows | 29 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 32 | 39 | −7 | 37 | 2010 CAF Confederation Cup |
| 12 | Maritzburg United | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 34 | 53 | −19 | 36 | |
| 13 | Platinum Stars | 30 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 35 | 40 | −5 | 35 | |
| 14 | Bloemfontein Celtic | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 34 | 38 | −4 | 33 | |
| 15 | Thanda Royal Zulu | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 40 | 58 | −18 | 33 | Play-off to stay in Premiership |
| 16 | Bay United (R) | 30 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 26 | 56 | −30 | 21 | Relegated to National First Division |

## Results

| Home \ Away | AJX | AMZ | BAY | BVW | BLC | FSS | GOL | KZC | MLS | MAR | MOR | ORL | PLA | SAN | SUP | TRZ |
| Ajax Cape Town | | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 5–2 |
| AmaZulu | 2–0 | | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Bay United | 1–3 | 1–1 | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| Bidvest Wits | 1–0 | 2–3 | 5–0 | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 6–2 |
| Bloemfontein Celtic | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 1–2 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 6–1 |
| Free State Stars | 3–0 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 5–1 | | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 |
| Golden Arrows | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | 0–1 | 0–1 | 5–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 |
| Kaizer Chiefs | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 1–2 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | 0–2 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 0–1 | | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 2–0 |
| Maritzburg United | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–3 | | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| Moroka Swallows | 2–4 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| Orlando Pirates | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 4–2 |
| Platinum Stars | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–6 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | | 4–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 |
| Santos | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| SuperSport United | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | | 1–3 |
| Thanda Royal Zulu | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | |

## PSL Awards

Teko Modise was the biggest winner at the annual Premier Soccer League awards dinner on 24 May 2009 at Gold Reef City Casino, pocketing a whopping R400 000 after he was named Footballer of the Year and Players' Player of the Year.
It was the second time that the Orlando Pirates midfielder bagged the coveted Footballer of the Year honour, following his controversial win last season. This time, however, Modise's brilliance from the unusual left of midfield position helped Pirates mount a championship bid.
Lucas Thwala, who earlier this month was named Pirates' Player of the Season ahead of Modise, was named the Premiership Player of the Year.
Ajax Cape Town's Franklin Cale won the award for the Telkom Knockout Player of the Tournament.
| Award | Winner | Club | Prize Money |
| Premier League Champions | Supersport United | - | R10 000 000 |
| Footballer of the Season | Teko Modise | Orlando Pirates | R 250 000 |
| Premiership Player of the Season | Lucas Thwala | Orlando Pirates | R 150 000 |
| Players' Player of the Season | Teko Modise | Orlando Pirates | R 150 000 |
| Young Player of the Season | Bongani Khumalo | Supersport United | R 50 000 |
| Goalkeeper of the Season | Kennedy Mweene | Free State Stars | R 50 000 |
| Top Goal Scorer of the Season | Richard Henyekane | Golden Arrows | R75 000 |
| Goal of the Season | Ryan Botha | Moroka Swallows | R 50 000 |
| Chairman's Award | Andre Arendse & John Maduka | Supersport United & Bloemfontein Celtic | Share R 100 000 |
| Coach of the Season | Gavin Hunt | Supersport United | R75 000 |
| Referee of the Season | Jerome Damon | - | R 50 000 |
| MTN8 Player of the Tournament | Gert Schalkwyk | Kaizer Chiefs | R 150 000 |
| Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament | Mthokozisi Yende | Pretoria University | R 100 000 |
| Telkom Knockout Player of the Tournament | Franklin Cale | Ajax Cape Town | R 200 000 |

## Statistics
### Top goalscorers

As of May 23, 2009

#### 19 goals

* Richard Henyekane (Golden Arrows)

#### 16 goals

* Mabhuti Khenyeza (Ajax Cape Town)

#### 10 goals

* Luis Rentería (Platinum Stars)
* Surprise Moriri (Mamelodi Sundowns)
* Anthony Laffor (SuperSport United)
* Bernard Parker (Thanda Royal Zulu)
* Sthembiso Ngcobo (Free State Stars)

#### 9 goals

* Dumisani Ngwenya (AmaZulu)
* Katlego Mashego (Orlando Pirates)
* Gert Schalkwyk (Bloemfontein Celtic)
* Bradley Ritson (AmaZulu)

#### 8 goals

* Elias Pelembe (SuperSport United)
* Lucas Thwala (Orlando Pirates)
* Nkosinathi Nhleko (SuperSport United)

## Premiership managers

| Manager | Club | Appointed |
| Craig Rosslee | Ajax Cape Town | July 2007 |
| Clive Barker | AmaZulu | July 2007 |
| Khabo Zondo | Bay United | November 2008 |
| Roger De Sa | Bidvest Wits | June 2007 |
| Owen Da Gama | Bloemfontein Celtic | |
| Steve Komphela | Free State Stars | |
| Manqoba Mngqithi | Golden Arrows | January 2007 |
| Fani Madida | Kaizer Chiefs | May 2009 |
| Ted Dumitru | Mamelodi Sundowns | March 2009 |
| Gordon Igesund | Maritzburg United | July 2008 |
| Júlio César Leal | Moroka Swallows | July 2008 |
| Ruud Krol | Orlando Pirates | July 2008 |
| David Bright | Santos | January 2008 |
| Miguel Gamondi | Platinum Stars | December 2007 |
| Gavin Hunt | Supersport United | June 2007 |
| Roger Palmgren | Thanda Royal Zulu | August 2007 |

## Kits 2008–2009

| Team | Supplier | Shirt sponsor |
| Ajax CT | Adidas | MTN |
| AmaZulu | Reebok | SPAR |
| Bay United | Puma | Vacant |
| Bidvest Wits | Hummel | Bidvest |
| Bloemfontein Celtic | Reebok | Vodacom |
| Engen Santos | Canterbury | Engen |
| Free State Stars | Umbro | Bonitas |
| Golden Arrows | Umbro | MTN |
| Kaizer Chiefs | Nike | Vodacom |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | Nike | Vacant |
| Maritzburg United | Joma | Vacant |
| Moroka Swallows | Mitre | VW |
| Orlando Pirates | Adidas | Vodacom |
| Platinum Stars | Diadora | Dunns |
| Supersport United | Diadora | DStv |
| Thanda Royal Zulu | Lotto | Vacant |

## Dec 2008/Jan 2009 Transfer Window

| Name | Last registration | To club |
| Tsweu Makoro | Moroka Swallows | Ajax Cape Town |
| Tawfeeq Salie | Ajax Cape Town | Ajax Cape Town |
| Stanton Lewis | Unspecified | Ajax Cape Town |
| Thamsanqa Sangweni | Unspecified | AmaZulu |
| Bradley Ritson | AmaZulu | AmaZulu |
| Jean Njoh | Unspecified | Bay United |
| Nhlanhla Vilakazi | Golden Arrows | Bay United |
| Bulelani Matross | Hanover Park | Bay United |
| Samuel Ramosoeu | Bidboys | Bidvest Wits |
| Tebogo Langerman | Bidboys | Bidvest Wits |
| Calvin Kadi | Supersport United | Bidvest Wits |