FIELD OF DREAMS

PSL boss Irvin Khoza on the future of soccer

● Premier Soccer League (PSL) chair Irvin Khoza has told the Sunday Times that a report on health and safety directives and match-day protocols will be considered by the executive committee on Thursday.

The league is working to come up with a plan to finalise the 2019/2020 season, which was brought to a halt by the pandemic. We asked Khoza …

What is the PSL doing to resume the league?

Fifa has issued a directive providing [for] the resumption of play … around the world. The directive extends the 2019/2020 season by a month to July 31. [It] stipulates one condition … the leagues must obtain the goahead [from] their governments.

The PSL is in discussions with minister of sport Nathi Mthethwa and other relevant authorities to ensure that Fifa conditions are met before the resumption. There are two conditions that are urgent: saving life first and foremost, and preserving the livelihoods that we as business can only do through [arrangements] in order to play.

The PSL will meet the executive committee on [Thursday] to consider the report of the task team. That report will cover health and safety directives and match-day protocols finalised by the task team.

Also to consider are the issues of health and safety guidelines beyond the confines of the match day. So these are the two considerations that we will be finalising.

What is minister Mthethwa’s position?

In our engagements … Mthethwa indicated that we must give him counsel on how best we can assist by identifying at what level we can do the resumption of our games. But in there we did indicate that one of our challenges as football is the deadline for the registration and transfer of contracted players, which is now July 31. This was supposed to be June 30 but it was extended to July 31 per the Fifa directive on April 1.

What indication must you give to Fifa?

We must indicate to Fifa by June 30 as to when will be our window period to sign players for the 2020/2021 season.

This will be discussed in the meeting [on Thursday] in consultation with the minister because the directive of Fifa has said that anything to do with resumption is the responsibility of the government, the department of health.

That is the guidance that was issued on

April 7 by Fifa — that the resumption of matches anywhere in the world rests with the department of health of the government. So that’s why we’re working in concert with the minister of health, together with the ministers of sport, and safety and security. We’re going to share the report of the task team with the minister of sport after our meeting on [Thursday].

Is the South African Football Association also part of these talks?

But I can’t talk for them; I’m just talking about the PSL.

You haven’t had any meeting with them, Safa?

No, not as yet.

At which level of the lockdown do you think you can start playing?

You can’t talk about that level when you still have the big debate that we’re dealing

I can’t talk for them [the SA Football Association]; I’m just talking about the PSL Irvin Khoza

On why the national body was not consulted

with right now. Because if you talk about the level, there’s nothing we can do because we’re not in control of the levels. But we’re talking about the reality of which that level is going to be determined. But everyone must take into account that the contracts of players are expiring at the end of July. After that we also need to play the play-offs for promotion and relegation at the end of July.

These are the issues that are facing us that are out of our control. That’s why we can’t be prescriptive. We’re happy that the minister of sport called us to make submissions and he was really accommodative and understanding of the complexity facing professional football. We also got a letter from Caf [the Confederation of African Football] that the executive committee must decide on. It’s got a deadline also and it’s a complication.

What is the Caf letter about?

It’s about the Caf Champions League asking us when we’re going to indicate which teams are going to participate in next year’s Champions League. So it’s a complication.

But you haven’t finished the season and Caf are also yet to finish theirs?

The thing that is confronting us is reality, but the executive committee will be dealing with the reports, for which I must congratulate our task team on doing a fantastic job in burning the midnight candles [sic] to make sure that they provide us with a report that’s per the minute of the board of governors.

We assume you are involving the National First Division teams in these talks?

Yes, we’re accommodating everybody, even the sponsors. The sponsors are very important and we’ve been briefing the sponsors on what is happening. We were supposed to meet on the 30th [of April] but we shifted to the 7th [of May] because we have been engaging with the minister and other authorities. After our meeting on Thursday we’ll have to give the report to the sponsors about what is happening. The broadcasters must be kept posted as well.

A few clubs have indicated that they’re cutting salaries …

Well, we can’t deal with that part. Fifa said we have to do what is in terms of the laws of the country and also they did speak about the issue of the contracts. But that matter is a matter that the executive is going to discuss. Obviously each club has got its own individual contracts that they’ve signed. But as a league we don’t have the position. We’re also engaging with Safpu [the South African Football Players Union] and I’m in constant communication with its president [Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe], but I’m going to brief him properly after the meeting on [Thursday]. I can’t give him a report that is not complete.

Are clubs guaranteed their grants?

You remember I said to you all the clubs are family businesses, they’re the payroll. But the payroll can only be dealt with by you as [a] club if you’re fulfilling your obligations. We can’t not play and also get the money [grants]. So we’re engaging the sponsors to be considerate in this matter. That’s why we’re meeting them after the meeting on [Thursday]. We can’t talk about how long we’re going to be paying the grants because ngeke uthengise impahla esitolo singekho isitoko. Uzostokha kanjani ungazange uthengise isitoko? [how are you going to get your new stock if you haven’t been selling anything?].

Are the sponsors pushing for the resumption of play? Are there any demands from them?

They’re not pushing, they understand the situation. We’re in a state of war, and in a state of war you can’t predict and you can’t make conditions. They’ve been very accommodative, the sponsors. That’s why briefing them is very important and [we’re] briefing them constantly because if you don’t brief them then it’s a problem. They’re very important as stakeholders. It’s the same with the broadcasters. We’re briefing them constantly and we’ll do the same after the meeting on [Thursday]. Up until now they’ve been very accommodative, which we appreciate.

People are complaining that they’re not hearing much from the PSL?

But they can see where the challenges are. How do you talk when you have these challenges? Some of these challenges are beyond our control, so we can’t talk about things as if kudlalwa umshayina [we are gambling]. We can’t do that. We’re dealing with a reality in a war situation and that’s why we’ve said we’re going to comply with the government because they’re flexible and that we are more than happy that the minister is engaging us and sharing with us our problems, which we really appreciate.

It’s also important to see football as a business, and the minister understands that, that the PSL is a business.