PSL

PSL faces decision as Safa, government disagree on Covid-19 strategy

You are currently viewing PSL faces decision as Safa, government disagree on Covid-19 strategy

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) faces a tough decision on whether to continue the league calendar behind closed doors due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with contrasting opinions coming from Safa and the government.

President Cyril Ramphosa took drastic actions on Sunday evening to help prevent the spread of the virus as he declared a national state of disaster and prohibited gatherings of 100 people or more.

Then, after an emergency meeting on Monday, the PSL suspended all football activity for this week, including the discontinuation of the MultiChoice Diski Challenge. The body is set to hold another meeting on Thursday to decide on a way forward.

The Minister of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Nathi Mthethwa, then said on Tuesday that domestic football fixtures could continue despite the rising number of Covid-19 cases in South Africa.

Mthethwa told the media, apparently after their meeting, that the PSL is expected to continue behind closed doors.

‘We need them, chairmen and others in the leadership and sport; we need them to raise their voices against this pandemic. So, therefore they will continue with their matches, it will be without spectators and they finish the season,’ he said.

Safa has since responded to the claim via its Twitter account, reaffirming the belief that football at all levels be suspended until further notice.

‘SAFA’s position remains unchanged & that is all matches (from amateur level to PSL) must be postponed until further notice.’

‘I am meeting the chairman [Khoza] tomorrow [March 18]. Our position is that it has been tried before,’ Jordaan told the media later on Wednesday.

‘Mikel Arteta – the Arsenal manager – he tested positive. The whole Real Madrid team was quarantined.

‘So, we have to look at the issues of health and safety of the players and other important issues like contractual obligations and the revenue. We have to meet and discuss these things,’ he added.

‘You have Uefa postponing the Champions League, and they generate $1.5 billion per year and of course Fifa generated $6 billion from the last World Cup and they said we must postpone the matches [2022 World Cup qualifiers].

‘So, there is a point that you have to look at how do you mitigate the threats on the commercial and financial side and how do you secure the health [of stakeholders] and deal with this serious problem.’

The league will now face a tough decision on Thursday as it navigates these uncertain times.