Cape Town City’s first significant collapse in over a decade has come at a heavy cost, as they are now headed for life in the NFD Motsepe Foundation Championship next season after failing to navigate the PSL Promotional Playoffs with a 1-0 loss against Orbit College on Wednesday.
The Cape outfit lost what turned into a must-win clash, following Orbit’s crucial 1-0 triumph over Casric Stars in their penultimate outing — a result that placed the North West side firmly in command of the mini-league.
Despite their determined efforts to keep their Premiership status alive, City never looked like a team that had truly recovered from a troubled 2024/25 campaign. And once Letsie Koapeng slotted in a decisive second-half strike, it sealed their relegation fate and brought an abrupt close to a proud era for a club long known for its reliability and top-flight consistency.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow for a team that hadn’t missed a Top 8 finish since the 2014/15 season and had regularly pushed into the Top 5. But after navigating years of relative stability, their first truly turbulent season has left them staring at a long road back to the top.
Head coach Diego Peral lamented his side’s missed opportunities throughout a challenging campaign, as they bowed out with a defeat that confirmed their drop with one match to play against Casric on Saturday.
“We had chances and we didn’t score, so this is what happens,” Peral said, in the aftermath.
“It’s not the first time this season. It is what it is. What can we do? The chances were there, we had many opportunities to win the game, to take the lead, but we didn’t.
“For Saturday’s match, we needed that goal — and we just didn’t get it.
“It’s a horrible situation to be in. We’ve been here since the start of the season. We had so many chances to fix it, and we didn’t. You look at the guys who’ve been here since day one, and it’s sad.
“It is what it is. We have to pick ourselves up and start again.”
City’s downfall had been building from the outset of the season, as they uncharacteristically stumbled out of the blocks and never truly recovered from their sluggish start — a stark contrast to last season’s fifth-place finish.
The dismissal of long-time serving coach Eric Tinkler briefly seemed to stabilise things, with Turkish veteran Muhsin Ertugral stepping in and managing a positive run of results midway through the season. But that bounce didn’t last.
Ertugral, too, oversaw a run of poor form and was dismissed before the campaign wrapped up.
Despite the heartbreak, there remains cause for hope. The squad still boasts a strong balance of youth and experience, and with clear-eyed reflection on the missteps — both recent and historic — City could bounce back at the first attempt.
This demotion, while painful, may force long-overdue introspection. The cracks that led to their fall may have been forming even during their most successful years — and now that the damage is done, rebuilding with renewed purpose becomes essential.
