What the Absa PSL’s resumption will look like and how exactly it will all work
SOUTH Africa’s topflight football season will resume on Saturday, 8 August, with over 100 matches to be completed in 30 days.
Sport24’s Baden Gillion previously reported that Gauteng would be the province to host both the Absa Premiership and GladAfrica Championship teams in order to finish the season within a month.
PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza announced on Monday that clubs are only allowed a contingent of 50 staff and players in the Biologically Safe Environment (BSE).
Clubs will be situated in hotels in close proximity to the stadiums at which games will be played.
The hotels, where teams will be placed, remain undisclosed, while the venues for the matches were confirmed on Wednesday morning.
“The bubble is not in one hotel. It is in several hotels that have been identified,” said Khoza.
“For instance, we’ve seen in the (2010) World Cup situation. All the hotels are in the bubble.”
Players and staff, including referees, match officials and stadium staff, will have to be tested 48 hours before being allowed into the biobubble.
All individuals who test positive will not be allowed into the BSE and will have to go into a 14-day isolation period.
Khoza has already confirmed that
Mamelodi Sundowns, Bidvest Wits, Bloemfontein Celtic and Baroka FC will be the first four teams to enter the PSL bio-bubble next week - ahead of the Nedbank Cup semi-finals.
How many matches a day? The Nedbank Cup semi-finals will kick off proceedings on Saturday, 8 August, with Sundowns entertaining Wits before Celtic take on Baroka.
The final will take place on Saturday, 5 September, on the last day of the season as confirmed by the PSL chairperson.
The Absa Premiership will restart on Tuesday, 11 August - three days after the Nedbank Cup semi-finals.
Meanwhile, the fixtures remain unchanged, with only the dates and kick-off times to be revealed in the next 48 hours.
The PSL boss was also aware of the strenuous task teams faced of playing more than one match per week.
But he added that each club will only play every third day.
However, Khoza has assured football fans that there will be matches every day as they look to complete the season in 30 days.
Teams have to cover travelling costs
The PSL has been paying a monthly grant of R500 000 to each club in the Premiership and the GladAfrica Championship since the coronavirus brought a halt to the season.
Khoza says that clubs will have to pay for their own travelling arrangements to the BSE in Gauteng.
“Remember in the grants there are also deductions for travelling and accommodation expenses for those teams that are supposed to be camping and whatsoever,” said Khoza.
“Those monies have not been deducted‚ so every club is going to carry their own expenses in terms of travelling to their own BSE and hotel accommodation.
“In the regulations of the PSL‚ there is no provision that clubs must be given a grant; this grant is given without any instructing provisions in our statutes.
“So‚ it is very important that we respect the investment by our sponsors and broadcaster, who are buying our content that enable the clubs to be professional‚ competitive and the league to be unpredictable.”
Referees and match officials The South African Football Association (SAFA) compliance officer, Dr Thulani Ngwenya, confirmed on Tuesday that three referees have tested positive for Covid-19.
Those referees are already in isolation for the next 14 days and are being monitored, while the rest of the officials are preparing for the restart in Johannesburg.—Sport24