What are the facts?

Football governing body FIFA has not forced leagues around the world to stop playing, but the PSL were firm in their decision to take a break during the spectacle in Qatar.

The PSL has no players at the World Cup, which has left many people asking why the season is being halted for a period of two months. Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Richard Ofori was the only player who seemed to have hope of travelling to the showpiece, but injury ended his hopes of making it into Ghana’s final squad.

It’s obviously unusual for the World Cup to be played towards the end of the year, so many leagues around the world have had to bend over backwards to work around the schedule and it’s no different with the PSL. It has, however, had different effects on those involved in the local game.

Some clubs may have welcomed the break as it has given them some time to regroup. Clubs such as Maritzburg United and Sekhukhune United appointed new coaches during this period and the break acts as a pre-season for them, as the struggling clubs look to turn their fortunes around.

For others, however, the break might not have been welcomed.

SuperSport United coach Gavin Hunt spoke publicly about how he would have wanted the league to carry on, as they were in good form going into the break. Matsatsantsa have lost only two of their last 10 DStv Premiership matches and were one of the most in-form teams before the break.

Galaxy chairman Sukazi alluded to this too. In his opinion, he thinks SuperSport are genuine title contenders, but believes the break could affect their rhythm.

“Business-wise, there is no direct effect, but there are teams whose momentum would be affected. Clubs who have been on a high before the break would be affected and teams like SuperSport United and Chippa United come to mind. It would have served them better to continue. Maybe they would have challenged (Mamelodi) Sundowns looking at their run rate before the break and that’s the situation we would like to see for our football. That would make the league exciting, and it would be good for the football brand. Now the break could affect their momentum, so who else would be there to catch Sundowns?” Sukazi shared.

The break has also given players who are injured an opportunity to recover from their knocks, or those who are working on match fitness to continue trying to get into peak physical shape. An example is Brazilians midfielder Bongani Zungu, who reveals in his interview with Soccer Laduma this week (see page 12) that he has been training at Chloorkop while his teammates were off on a break.

Clearly the break has its benefits for the clubs in the league, but there are those who won’t agree.