Football return plan formulated
All 32 teams ready to enter ‘massive camp’ so they can be monitored and kept safe
THE joint liaison committee of the South African Football Association and its special member, the National Soccer League, have welcomed the unanimous decision by the JLCappointed task team, which says professional football activities can resume under a “massive single camp”.
With the domestic season having come to a complete halt on March 15 following the outbreak of the coronavirus, three weeks ago the JLC selected a task team, which consists of members from both parties, to come up with recommendations about the safe and professional protocols to resume football.
Yesterday, a week after their deadline, the task team finally reverted back to the JLC, saying that for the domestic season to conclude, all the 32 teams in the Premier Soccer League – 16 in the Absa Premiership and 16 in the GladAfrica Championship – have to be based in a monitored “biological safe environment for the duration of the season”.
“Yes, that (the decision of hosting a national camp) is what we’ve agreed to,” Safa head of medical Dr Thulani Ngwenya said.
“Everyone that goes into the biological safe environment cannot leave. So it’s going to be like your Olympic Games style (athletes village) where everyone is kept in one place.
“They teams will train and play at the allocated venues, and they’ll then return to the biological environment.
“We’ll be doing daily screening. That’s basically the protocol (that the task team has come up with).
But these will not only apply to the players but to the residences at the camp as well.”
Although Minister of Sport Nathi Mthethwa was also part of the JLC proceedings yesterday, Safa are still expected to send the proposal to the minister’s office, considering that the government will give the final verdict on the matter based on health and transport
recommendations.
On Saturday, Mthethwa declared that non-sport activities can fully resume during level 3, while contact sport such as rugby and football can begin training.
Ngwenya says that although teams will be permitted to begin training in their club facilities in small groups before assembling as a full squad, they’ll have to undergo protocols including Covid-19 screening and testing.
“In terms of training, we’ve agreed that if the letter is sent today and is approved by the government, then teams can start training. But they’ll have to be screened and tested for underlying conditions first before they can start training whenever they are,” Ngwenya explained.
Safa and the PSL are still set to decide the date – and duration – for the resumption of football.
However, with the PSL executive committee scheduled to have their own meeting today, top of their agenda will probably be on the date to resume the season and recommendations on the possible venue(s) and stadiums that will house the massive single camp.
The mastermind behind the “massive camp” idea, Dr Mahlane Phalane, said they had recommended Gauteng for the camp, although Sun City in North West has been mentioned as the ideal place to host all the 32 teams.