The Sunday Mail
Sports Reporter
THE Premier Soccer League is hopeful it will get the green light to kick-start the 2020 season in September, as the domestic game eagerly awaits a Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) resolution this week, on the feasibility of playing this year.
Although there had been indications that the ZIFA board would make a decision on the matter yesterday, it emerged that the association’s leadership would now only meet on Thursday.
Instead, it was the Premier Soccer League (PSL)’s Sports Medicine and the ZIFA Competitions committees who met in the capital yesterday and came up with recommendations detailing the conditions and safety of football returning.
ZIFA communications and competitions manager Xolisani Gwesela told The Sunday Mail Sport that the recommendations of the two committees would now be submitted to the mother body’s president Felton Kamambo and his board.
The committees’ main brief was to look at how safe the game can return against the background of the need to help contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country and make the necessary recommendations.
Gwesela said ZIFA would continue to be guided by Government and health experts as well the Confederation of African Football in coming up with a decision that is suitable for Zimbabwe.
“As you are aware, these are just standing committees. They just recommend and ultimate decisions lie with the Exco (Executive Committee).
“A statement will be issued after the Exco meeting,” Gwesela.
The Sports Medicine Committee, led by Edward Chagonda, has set stringent conditions that include regular testing, social distancing, sanitisation and disinfection before football can return.
This year’s season was scheduled to start in March, but there has been no football in the country owing to the national lockdown that followed the outbreak of Covid-19, which has been effective for the last three months.
Although there had been suggestions in some quarters that the game might never be played at all this year, PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele said they were actually pressing for a September start.
Ndebele, just like the majority of the clubs and players, remains optimistic the top-flight competition still has a chance to kick-off this year.
“We are hoping that we will be cleared by the authorities to start in September, subject to all other health conditions.
“We remain hopeful, subject to clearance by health and Government institutions. As far as we are concerned, we have not reached a stage where we can talk of season scrapping. You can’t scrap a season in July when the provisional date was August or September.
“What will determine the return of the league is the recommendations of the Sports Medicine Committee and if those recommendations are accepted by Government,” said Ndebele.
The PSL chief also ruled out the possibility of playing in empty stadiums if the game was to return in September, basing his argument on the nature and business of the local game.
“The possibility of playing behind closed doors is not possible. It’s not viable. Our clubs rely heavily on gate takings. Unless Government gives us clearance that we will not be paying for venues and other services like police and ambulance vehicles, then empty stadia are not possible.
“We do not have television like in Europe and South Africa where every game is broadcast so this could impact negatively as the sponsors won’t get enough mileage,” Ndebele said.
While Ndebele is satisfied with the league’s engagement with the Sports Medicine Committee, he remains genuinely worried by ZIFA’s slow pace in acting on the proposed Covid-19 bailout for clubs.
ZIFA have, over the last two months, received financial injections from FIFA and CAF meant to assist member associations and their affiliates who are reeling from financial distresses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
From the latest injection of US$1,5 million unveiled last week, FIFA indicated that $500 000 must be set aside for the women’s game.
The association initially set June 20 as the deadline by which they would have come up with a bailout package, but they are yet to act and appease restless clubs and players.
“On the health side of the game we have been consulted extensively by the Sports Medicine Committee, but on the welfare side we are still in the dark,” Ndebele said.
Some leagues such as the Tanzanian Premier League, which had been halted by the global suspension of football have resumed.
In Tanzania, where Simba SC clinched their third title in a row with six games to spare on Sunday, the top-flight league resumed on June 4.
The Zambian Super League has been given the go-ahead to start on July 18, while the South African ABSA Premiership has also been given the green light to resume by that country’s health ministry.
In Malawi, the roadmap and tentative kick-off date remains August 8, despite rising Covid-19 cases in that country.
Apart from setting a tentative date for return to action, the Football Association of Malawi has already doled out Covid-29 relief funds to players in that country as did Botswana and Tunisia’s associations.
