‘PSL season on the rocks’
COMITIS: FEARS THAT PSL SEASON IS IN DANGER OF BEING SCRAPPED
Safa dragging their heels remains the main obstacle to the 2019/20 season restarting.
Cape Town City owner and Premier Soccer League Executive committee member John Comitis has confirmed that the 2019/20 season is in danger of being cancelled, with the PSL Board of Governors set to meet again this week to discuss where to go next.
The PSL are clearly furious with the South African Football Association (Safa), who have blocked the resumption of the season, which was set by the league for last weekend, with the Nedbank Cup semifinals pencilled in for 18 and 19 July.
That, however, didn’t happen, with Safa claiming their referees were not ready to play until the first week of August, while Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe also indicated that there were compliance issues that needed to be cleared up.
The PSL, however, believe they have complied with the necessary health and safety regulations for the season to go ahead, in a Biologically Safe Environment (BSE) that will contain the spread of Covid-19, and that they have the go ahead from the government to do so.
The BSE is set for Gauteng, with 11 stadiums and 14 training venues lined up to complete the Absa Premiership, Nedbank Cup and GladAfrica Championship.
However, in light of Safa’s stance, the league have now been talking to sponsors and other stakeholders about the possibility of cancelling the season.
The PSL had told Fifa that they would finish the campaign by the end of August, but this was with a schedule that needed six weeks to complete.
“I am anticipating that by Wednesday (tomorrow) there will be another Board of Governors meeting,” Comitis told The Citizen yesterday.
“If Safa keep insisting on things that have already been done (in terms of compliance), we don’t logistically have the ability to get it (the season) done. We need six weeks, and then when do we start the new season? They have just made a simple thing complicated.
“We got a letter from government on 23 June, telling us we were good to go.”
Safa have denied that they are deliberately stalling over the resumption of the season, but have continuously been more cautious than the PSL over a possible restart.
“They (Safa) are shooting themselves in the foot if this is a power-play,” added Comitis.
“I have been in meetings with their doctor (Thulani Ngwenya), and while we are telling him we have created a bubble, and while the minister (sports minister Nathi Mthethwa) has been encouraging us, he kept on saying we must wait for the (lockdown) levels.”