Fifa has written a letter to the South African Football Association, allowing it to extend the 2019-20 Premier Soccer League season beyond the end of August.

The league had a proposed date of 18 July for competitive matches to resume in South Africa after Dr Irvin Khoza stressed the importance of having at least six weeks to complete the current season.

PSL chairman Khoza announced earlier that 31 August was the deadline for the completion of the current season.

However, world footballing body Fifa has since announced that Safa can be flexible on ending the current campaign and starting the 2020-21 season.

‘The world football governing body, Fifa has written to the South African Football Association (Safa) advising them that they can extend the completion of the current Premier Soccer League season in terms of the Transfer Management System (TMS),’ read a statement from Safa.

‘In the same context, Fifa has given Safa the mandate to amend the start of the next PSL season (2020-21) and this may require the Association to amend the registration periods provided in the TMS.

‘Part of the letter from Fifa to Safa reads: “As such, the association concerned should extend the end date of the ongoing season in the TMS, to reflect the match schedule. This may also require the association to amend the registration periods provided in the TMS.”‘

Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe is delighted with the clarification provided by Fifa and insisted that the match officials will be ready for the resumption of the 2019-20 season.

‘We are glad with the clarification we got from Fifa and we have already started preparation of the referees. They will arrive at the camp in batches and I want to assure everyone that the match officials will be ready, come 1 August 2020 when the PSL kicks off,’ said Motlanthe.