It’s August 2nd, and football community in Seychelles are still eagerly awaiting the release of the fixtures and schedule for the upcoming 2024/25 season. Normally, the new campaign would be kicking off with the President’s Cup on August 31st, but this year, the delays have left clubs and players in a state of uncertainty.
When reached for comment, several head coaches and managers from across Seychelles’ 3 divisions voiced their concerns about the lack of information. The coaches and managers we spoke to about the delayed fixtures requested anonymity, fearing repercussions from the Seychelles Football Federation.
“We are running out of time. We are minimum 30 days late with the calendar for the upcoming season.” said a representative from one of the Seychelles Premier League clubs. The sentiment was echoed by a coach from the Seychelles Championship, who lamented, “Our plan was made early in June based on rumors about the season starting by mid-August, and we are peaking our fitness preparations 30-45 days before the start of the season. This is unacceptable.“
The delay is particularly troubling for clubs in the lower tiers of the Seychelles football pyramid. “We are in Seychelles League 1, and our players are mostly playing football for fun.” explained one club chairman. “We’re okay with waiting for the schedule, but our fear is that players might end up super unfit if we wait much longer. We’re also not even sure who is in our league this year – some clubs from the higher divisions might close down, and then other clubs might get promoted, and they might come to sign our players at the last minute.“
Despite the varying perspectives from the different divisions, one thing is clear: no one seems satisfied with the lack of information from the Seychelles Football Federation. The delayed schedule has disrupted pre-season preparations, leaving clubs and players in limbo as they eagerly await the start of the new campaign.
Northern Dynamo filed a case against Red Star DF last season, but the outcome remains unknown. If Red Star DF is found guilty, they should face a points deduction penalty (-5 points for example) for the upcoming 2024/25 season.
As the clock ticks down to the proposed President’s Cup kick-off, the football community in Seychelles is left wondering when they will finally receive the much-anticipated fixtures and schedule for the 2024/25 season.
