The DStv Premiership has the worst penalty conversion rate out of 75 leagues worldwide, according to the CIES Football Observatory.
The Swiss-based football analytics Institute assessed the frequency of penalties awarded by referees since 1 January 2020.
Among the league compared, the Egyptian Premier League has seen the most penalties being awarded – with one penalty whistled every 172 minutes. The Saudi Pro League (every 178 minutes) and the Russian Premier League (every 187 minutes) round up the podium.
The global average is one penalty every 271 minutes, while in the DStv Premiership one penalty is awarded only every 310 minutes – which is at the lower end of the leagues worldwide.
However, the DStv Premiership leads the ranking when it comes to converting spot-kicks, with players in Mzansi’s top flight only converting 71.4% of their penalties, according to CIES.
We’ve seen several players miss spot-kicks this season, just earlier this week Bradley Grobler failed to convert from 11 yards in his side’s 0-0 draw with Marumo Gallants.
Other players who missed recent penalties are AmaZulu’s Bongi Ntuli, who failed to score against Darren Keet, while Kaizer Chiefs striker Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana missed a penalty against Velile Mothwa in January.
Stellenbosch’s Junior Mendieta even missed two spot-kicks this season already – against Chippa United in December and against Sekhukhune United in January.
Since 1 January 2020, no other league has had a worse conversion rate from the penalty spot than the DStv Premiership. The conversion rate is also particularly low in the Portuguese Primeira Liga (73.4%) and the Spanish Liga (74.9%), while the French Ligue 1 and the Qatar Stars League both achieved a record-high of 82.2%.
WHY DO YOU THINK SA’S PENALTY RECORD IS SO POOR?
