Khoza explains why South Africa’s PSL was cut from 18 to 16 teams

Premier Soccer League chairman Irvin Khoza has explained why South Africa’s top-flight competition was reduced from 18 teams to 16. The change was made before the start of the 2002/03 season, with financial pressure at the centre of the decision.

The PSL had started 30 years earlier with 18 clubs. That structure did not last, as Free State Stars and Ria Stars were removed when the league moved to a smaller format. Khoza said the reduction was intended to create a more manageable competition during a period when the league’s finances were under severe strain.

The league was close to collapsing at the time, making cost control a priority. Khoza described the move as an austerity measure rather than a routine structural adjustment. The decision was therefore linked to the need to protect the competition’s survival and keep its remaining clubs operating.

Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs also carried part of that burden. Khoza said the two biggest clubs went without payments for two months while the league dealt with its financial problems. Their unpaid period was part of an effort to ensure that other clubs received their money first.

That approach reflected the danger facing the competition. Khoza said the league’s thinking was that if the less financially secure clubs collapsed, the PSL itself would collapse. Reducing the number of teams was presented as one element of a wider attempt to prevent that outcome.

The explanation places the move to 16 teams in the PSL’s early financial history. The change from the original 18-team structure was driven by the need for a more sustainable league, while sacrifices from Pirates and Chiefs helped give other clubs priority during the crisis.