Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz gets reprieve as AmaZulu showdown is delayed.

Image: Itumeleng English / ANA Studio

The PSL’s decision to postpone its Betway Premiership matches on Wednesday due to the local elections day could leave the league with a fixture backlog, but it may also have bought Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz some time at the helm.

Chiefs were initially scheduled to face AmaZulu on Wednesday, with Arthur Zwane set to come up against his former club. Having left Chiefs after being demoted from the first-team coaching position, Zwane will still be eager to demonstrate his growth and improvement whenever he comes up against Amakhosi.

Adding to the challenge for Chiefs is the fact that Zwane and his troops would have entered the match as favourites. AmaZulu are enjoying a good run in the league and cup competitions, having won their last six matches in a row, including their Carling Knockout Cup fixtures.

However, Zwane will have to wait before facing his former club, as AmaZulu are scheduled to meet Stellenbosch FC in the Carling Knockout Cup quarter-finals on Sunday night. A victory would take them one step closer to silverware.

The postponement also means that Chiefs will now turn their attention to Siwelele in Polokwane in their own Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final. It is a match they need to win to make amends for their Soweto derby defeat to Orlando Pirates last Saturday.

Granted, sporting director Kaizer Motaung Junior has publicly endorsed Da Cruz, but the coach remains under pressure with every passing game, particularly as their rivals, Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu, continue to pick up victories.

For now, though, Da Cruz can breathe a sigh of relief following the decision to postpone Wednesday’s fixtures due to the local elections. He will no longer have to face an in-form AmaZulu side led by Zwane, who will always have an added incentive to prove himself against his former club.