PSL is back, soon we’ll know where it will be
● Plans for the resumption of the 2019-20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season will be revealed by noon tomorrow.
The league is set to kick-off again next weekend, but there is still confusion and some unanswered questions from the PSL’s board of governors’ meeting earlier this week.
The PSL halted matches in mid-March due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sunday Times has learned that among the main questions that were left hanging from the board meeting were:
● Who is going to foot the bill for the hotels that the clubs will use at the biologically safe environment, which it is believed will be in Gauteng. Club owners fear they may have to pay the costs of R1m or more for the teams’ month in a hotel.
● There was also no agreement on whether to discontinue the GladAfrica Championship season, with some members suggesting that Ajax Cape Town, who were on top of the log when the league was stopped, be promoted, while second- and third-placed teams, Swallows FC and Uthongathi FC, go into promotion/relegation playoffs.
Attempts to get these questions answered by the PSL failed this week, with chair Irvin Khoza not returning the calls. PSL acting
CEO Mato Madlala said everything will be revealed in the press conference called by the PSL for tomorrow and there was nothing she would say before then.
Safa’s acting CEO, Tebogo Motlanthe, said the association was in the dark about the PSL’s plan because the meeting the league was supposed to have had on Friday had been postponed to 10am tomorrow.
“The meeting did start but we did not conclude anything. There were many issues that were raised that both parties needed to go research and come back with a similar position. But having said that, we should find each other in most of these issues,” said Motlanthe without elaborating on what it was that they discussed, claiming all will be cleared up and made known to the public after tomorrow’s meeting.
On the date proposed by the PSL to resume playing, Motlanthe said Safa did not agree with it.
“We did not agree with it and that’s one of the issues for Monday, but we’ve agreed in good faith that no-one must talk to the media up until we’ve met.”
Also part of Friday's meeting was Safa medical officer Thulani Ngwenya, who has been appointed by the mother body as compliance officer responsible for giving PSL clubs the right to resume training. Most PSL clubs started training this week, but Ngwenya said not one of them got a go-ahead from Safa, which minister of sport Nathi Mthethwa had recommended.
“We were supposed to clarify all those issues of compliance officers with the PSL on Friday, but the one the PSL appointed [Michael Murphy] was not present because he was sick. We then postponed the meeting to Monday and I hope by then we’ll be able to find each other,” Ngwenya said.
Despite the bickering Ngwenya sounded optimistic that all would be resolved tomorrow.