… but PSL and Safa still lock horns over play in the lockdown
● The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is targeting level 3 of the lockdown for football to return to the field of play.
The Sunday Times understands this to be among its recommendations submitted at the weekend. The recommendations were made to the department of sport and the South African Football Association (Safa).
Safa has suggested a return only at level 1, the least onerous of the levels set by the government on the pandemic.
Dominic Chimhavi, Safa’s communications manager, commenting on this difference of opinion, said: “We are going to discuss the PSL proposals with them during the joint liaison committee meeting on Tuesday.”
The league had commissioned a task team to look at ways that could help with resuming the season, which had been suspended in the middle of March.
The PSL champions would have been crowned yesterday had the league programme not come to a dead stop. Kaizer Chiefs are top of the log table with a fourpoint lead over defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
The task team report was discussed in detail at a PSL executive committee meeting that began on Thursday and ended on Friday. The Sunday Times believes that among the task team’s proposals is that matches be played at venues in the two provinces where cases of the coronavirus are least prevalent.
“In terms of transporting people, once they have decided on the venue, and get the go-ahead to restart, they would still have to get a permit for transportation from the relevant authorities to move people around,” said a PSL source.
“Before all of this happens, they will have to meet the necessary health protocols as prescribed by the department of health. Furthermore, police, medical and ambulance services, and all of the stages and boxes, will have to be ticked. The challenge about all of this is that nobody knows when the country will get to level 3,” said the source.
For football to take steps towards a resumption of play, the PSL and Safa must agree on one position.
Safa’s standpoint has been all along that football can be played again only at level 1. Currently the PSL and Safa are not singing from the same hymn book.
“Safa are talking level 1. The PSL is proposing level 3. There is a lack of alignment,” said a department of sport official.
Nathi Mthethwa, the minister of sport, arts & culture, has said that the two organisations must speak with one voice.
Vusumuzi Mkhize, director-general of the department of sport, said it had received the PSL’s report yesterday morning.
“We will go through it and familiarise ourselves with its content and only comment after that. The PSL is best placed to answer on the contents of the report,” said Mkhize.
PSL spokesperson Lux September referred the Sunday Times to acting CEO Mato Madlala for comment on the content of the report. But neither Madlala nor league chair Irvin Khoza could be reached.
Chimhavi said any professional football could resume only at level 1 of the lockdown.
“Our official position is that we drew up resolutions with regards to say when is it safe to begin playing football,” said Chimhavi, who confirmed that the PSL had sent its report to the association on Friday.
“Most of our decisions we arrived at after we spoke to medical experts, and part of their suggestions was that it’s not going to be an easy exercise.
“Roughly they said the only time we’ll be able to play football is on level 1.
“But even on level 1 it entails thorough testing prior to the day of the match, on the day of the match, and after the match.
“What it also entails is that everyone should be tested. That means the teams, technical staff and all the supporting staff, the referees and everyone who is involved in the game should be tested.”
Most of our decisions we arrived at after we spoke to medical experts Dominic Chimhavi on why Safa supports a level 1 return to football