With government blocking the return to play of contact sports under under coronavirus lockdown level three, Mzansi football’s grootkoppe will meet today to figure out planne for their next move.
Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa on Friday laid out the regulations for professional sport when the country moves to level three of the coronavirus lockdown today.
And his announcement that contact sports, like football and rugby, could not be played at this stage, has put the blokke on the South African Football Association (Safa) and the PSL’s plans to complete the season behind closed doors.
Last Thursday, the PSL and Safa’s Joint Liaison Committee (JLC) were to submit their plan to resume playing under level three to their bosses.
But with that gedagte omgekrap, Safa president Danny Jordaan tells IOL: “The JLC will meet on Monday. But the minister was clear on his statement that we cannot resume matches. So, we are now looking at level 2 or 1.”
The JLC, created last month, had been planning to centralise the top-flight and second-division campaigns to ensure safety of players and shareholders to complete the season.
There had been talks of playing in venues in Gauteng, Limpopo and the North West.
Now PSL clubs will have to skarrel to either make plans to
convince government to resume as soon as possible or they will have to negotiate with sponsors and broadcasters to keep the money flowing as clubs struggle financially.