Durban City FC head coach Gavin Hunt has made a bold prediction for the 2025/26 Betway Premiership, discussing why this season will be different from the previous ones.
Hunt and his side, Durban City, who were promoted to the top-flight after winning the Motsepe Foundation Championship last season, had a perfect start to the new season, winning both of their opening matches.
The 61-year-old coach was the last man to prevent Mamelodi Sundowns from winning the league, leading Bidvest Wits to the title in the 2016/17 season. Since then, the Brazilians have won eight league titles in a row.
He has asserted that had ‘The Clever Boys’ not been sold, he would have halted Masandawana from winning the league.
“Bidvest Wits, we would have won the league again, there’s not even a debate, we would have won the league again,” said Hunt. “And we were the only opposition, I thought for them [Sundowns]. But yeah, that was then.”
Hunt, who has four league titles in his cabinet, believes the newly-started Betway Premiership campaign will be a “much closer” contest than previous seasons due to the tough programme that Sundowns have. The ‘Citizens’ mentor believes it will be difficult for the Tshwane giants to defend their league title.
HUNT – ‘THE LEAGUE WILL BE MUCH, MUCH CLOSER’
Sundowns’ busy schedule began with their recent participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, which resulted in a shortened pre-season. This season, the club will compete in multiple tournaments, including the CAF Champions League, MTN8, Carling Knockout Cup, and Nedbank Cup.
Adding to their demanding calendar, a majority of their players form the core of Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana squad, which will be involved in World Cup qualifiers in September and October before the AFCON tournament in Morocco in December. While competitors like Orlando Pirates, Stellenbosch FC, and Kaizer Chiefs also have busy schedules with inter-club competitions, they don’t have as many players involved in national team duties.
“You have to look at the whole thing, I think the gap will never be as wide, like 15, 16 points, because of the programme they [Sundowns] had last year and a half,” added Hunt.
“You look at their players…and I think they still have the quality to win it, they should win it, but it’s going to be much tougher. Their players are going to [the 2025] AFCON, and most of them will also play the [2026 FIFA] World Cup qualifiers.
“So, the guys [other league contenders] at the top there must be licking their lips, not us [Durban City]. But for them, it’s going to be a challenge to win it again. If they do, it will be fantastic.
“So, the league will be much, much closer this year because of the programme they [Sundowns] had.”
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