The top-flight and lower-tier seasons had to be played to their conclusion to ensure integrity and fairness‚ says Premier Soccer League (PSL) chair Irvin Khoza.
Khoza announced on Monday that professional football will resume on August 8, with the semifinals of the Nedbank Cup. Mamelodi Sundowns face Bidvest Wits, while Bloemfontein Celtic tackle Baroka FC in the two semifinals.
The league programme will resume three days later.
“It is very important that this league is seen to be one of the most progressive on the continent‚ and that results are settled on the field of play‚” Khoza said.
“To finalise the results on the field of play is the best way to settle the score of who must go down‚ who must go up‚ who must win the league and who must be in the top eight.
“All that is going to be settled on the field of play‚ which is the principle we adopted from day one. We are going to do everything in our power to finalise the season.”
Khoza praised the SA Football Association (Safa) for going out of its way to ensure the referees will be ready to officiate when the two leagues resume.
“We are happy the issue that was on the table with referees has been resolved and there is nothing stopping us from training properly. Fortunately‚ Safa have gone out of their way to make sure referees are ready and as we speak referees are being tested and they have flown them to Johannesburg. We are at the point where the referees are ready to go into the PSL bubble,” he said.
Safa medical officer and chief compliance officer Thulani Ngwenya revealed on Tuesday that all the referees have been tested for Covid-19 and only three came back positive.
The three who tested positive were all asymptomatic. “We are monitoring them on a daily basis and they are quarantining in the other wing of the hotel‚” said Ngwenya.
Would you like to comment on this article or view other readers' comments?
Register (it’s quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.