95% of PSL clubs take up vaccination

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO’S four Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs, Bulawayo Chiefs, Bulawayo City, Chicken Inn and Highlanders, are among the 16 topflight clubs, whose players and officials have got Covid-19 jabs.

PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele said 95 percent of teams had received their second doses.

Ndebele is hopeful the two remaining clubs will soon get their players and officials vaccinated, adding that inoculation of all teams could work in their favour and convince the Government to lift the temporary ban on football.

The PSL has already lodged an appeal to the Sports and Recreation Commission through Zifa for them to resume the Chibuku Super Cup tournament, which had just entered its second-leg when the Government tightened Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, which imposed a blanket ban on all domestic sporting activities.

Ndebele strongly believes that football can be used to spread Covid-19 testing and vaccination awareness.

“Prevention is better than cure and as such, we’re happy 95-98 percent of clubs have vaccinated players and officials. We continue encouraging other clubs and fans to vaccinate. We have sent forms to clubs so that we can collect data on the actual number of people who have been inoculated,” said Ndebele.

He said despite the stop-starts, they have managed to stick to Covid-19 protocols by conducting regular testing, hand sanitisation, disinfection, masking up, observing social distancing and isolating players and officials that test positive for Covid-19.

“I’m not a medical expert, but in terms of compliance, I think we might be second to frontline workers. We are working with about 30 medical doctors, 18 from the clubs and more than nine from the PSL medical committee, who are hands-on in terms of ensuring that there is total compliance and football is played in a safe environment.

“By sticking to recommended Government and World Health Organisation Covid-19 guidelines, we are confident we will resume soon,” Ndebele said. — @ZililoR