Show must go on, safely – Comitis
Safety first but the game can’t stop for too long, says Cape Town City boss
FOOTBALL is the biggest sport in South Africa, so one can only imagine how the millions of fans must be feeling after weeks of not being able to watch their favourite teams in action due to the coronavirus outbreak that has reached pandemic levels and resulted in a three-week nationwide shutdown that came into effect at midnight.
When the Absa Premiership and GladAfrica Championship will resume, no-one knows.
Cape Town City chairman John Comitis wants the show to go on but only under the right conditions, with the safety of his players a top priority.
“As a custodian of football of one of the Premier League clubs, we have the mindset that we have to try everything we can within the confines of safety for our players as a priority to keep the show going,” he said.
And he pointed out that the industry relies on television and exposure for sponsors and if sponsors pulled out of the game, the industry would basically collapse.
“This is not a case where you can just reopen your shop three months later and carry on trading.
“There will be a complete shift in the way things are done; the levels of players’ contracts, the chaos related to clubs not being able to meet contractual obligation to their players.
“So all-in-all, that would render possibly the end of the PSL as we know it,” said Comitis.
“I think football is a very big morale booster for the country and we have a responsibility to try and put our good foot forward and try everything we can to keep the show going, whether it be behind closed doors and with all the conditions that maybe relevant to keep our players safe.
“So we’re waiting in anticipation for this moment so that we can resume.”
City’s players have been sent home with programmes to maintain their fitness and with virtual training systems in place to be monitored remotely via GPS to check what levels they are reaching in terms of fitness.
That’s to ensure their readiness the minute the league resumes.
Comitis said his immediate priority is to be able to carry on paying his players and that everything will be done to ensure this happens.
The Citizens have won three of their last five league games and sit in 10th place on the table headed by Kaizer Chiefs.
They are set to meet 11th-placed derby rivals Stellenbosch FC, who they beat 1-0 in the first round of matches, when the Premiership resumes.