Bucs player tests positive for Covid-19
Orlando Pirates announced yesterday that their midfielder Ben Motshwari had tested positive for Covid-19, the first official announcement of this kind by any Premier Soccer League side. The revelation by the Buccaneers has to cast further doubt on how soon the PSL can resume, with the PSL Executive Committe meeting yesterday to discuss the way forward.
The league are expected to present a detailed report to government, and are set on finishing the 2019 season even if it means going past the 30 June deadline initially set by chairman Irvin Khoza.
“Orlando Pirates Football Club can confirm that Ben Motshwari has tested positive for Covid-19,” read a statement on the Orlando Pirates website yesterday.
“Ben was presented with flu-like symptoms last week and after undergoing tests, his results have come back positive. The player is asymptomatic and is currently in home isolation for the next 14 days. He will need to test negative before he is cleared. In accordance with relevant protocols, NHI has been notified of the case by the club.
“The health and wellbeing of our players, officials, and the wider community remains our highest priority in this difficult time. The club has also advised that the player must notify the doctors of all the people that he has been in contact with to ensure that they also get tested. We urge everybody to continue practicing safe and healthy measures to contain and mitigate the spread of the infection.”
With the country in nationwide lockdown since 23 March, it will be hoped that Motshwari’s coronavirues infection can be contained, certainly in terms of spreading within the Orlando Pirates set up.
The situation does, however, illustrate why it could still be a good while before the PSL can get up and running.
Motshwari, meanwhile, is almost certainly not the first South African footballer to test positive. Earlier this week, renowned Portuguese football publication A Bola reported that former South Africa Under-20 midfielder Sphephelo Sithole had tested positive for Covid-19, The 21 year-old, who plays for the Under-23 side of Primeira Liga outfit Belenenses SAD, was named by A Bola as the player, after the club announced on their Facebook page that one of their players had tested positive.