Did PSL clubs get adequate preparations?

Ricky Zililo

PLAYERS’ fitness will be under scrutiny when topflight football action returns today as teams compete in the remodelled Chibuku Super Cup after a 14-month hiatus.

Clubs and fans have been clamouring for the return of the game and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) has come up with strict Covid-19 preventive measures and protocols that are in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and local health authorities, which the Government approved paving way for resumption of football action.

Government has however, tightened requirements for playing friendly matches.

The protocols include among other masking up, hand sanitising, practising safe hygiene, regular testing of teams and officials, disinfecting training facilities as well as team buses.

Clubs had to fork out US$590 to cover referees, match commissioner and doctor’s fees and to also pay for an ambulance service and stadium hire for them to play friendly matches hence many clubs had to forgo friendly matches.

They could, therefore, not try out new players, tactics and combinations in a game situation and will only be doing so in the Chibuku Super Cup today and tomorrow.

The financially crippled clubs couldn’t afford to fork out money for players and match officials’ Covid-19 tests that had to be done 24 hours before kick-off.

Since all matches will be played behind closed doors, clubs were not going to recoup part of their expenses from gate charges.

Very few clubs played friendly matches, with the likes of Chicken Inn and Bulawayo City sticking to in-house training games.

As much as this wasn’t the ideal situation, clubs had no other choice and will go into the competition ill-prepared.

“I think the biggest problem is match fitness. We never played any friendly matches and stuck to training on our own. I think for us, this will be like jumping into a dark pool. We’ll try to put the pieces together as we progress. As you know, sport is now scientific and you measure players’ progress when you play opponents,” said Joey Antipas, the Chicken Inn coach.

The Gamecocks only started training a week after authority to resume was granted.

Bulawayo City, Bulawayo Chiefs, Herentals, Black Rhinos and Ngezi Platinum Stars were the first teams to do Covid-19 tests and resume training, meaning they had eight weeks of pre-season preparation.

Armyside Cranborne Bullets, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services sides Tenax and Wha Wha, Chicken Inn, Caps United, Triangle and FC Platinum had about seven weeks of pre-season training while Highlanders, Dynamos, Manica Diamonds, Yadah, ZPC Kariba and Harare City had about five weeks.

Chiefs played Black Rhinos in a friendly match last Saturday and their coach Thulani Sibanda said one pre-season match wasn’t enough.

“The strength of a team is better measured when you play more friendly and try different options. In terms of fitness, we’re good but we’re short of offensiveness. However, since the format of the tournament has changed, with pool games played over two legs, it will afford teams an opportunity to correct first-leg mistakes,” said Sibanda.

The six to eight weeks of training given to clubs were meant to determine stress on athletes’ bodies, skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular and neuromuscular responses to training.

According to sports scientists, muscles need about six weeks to develop.

Risks involved going into high activity or high intensity games without adequate preparations include causing damage to the skeletal system and even tendon tears.

Sipho Mnyamana-Rutsate from the Sports Science and Coaching Department at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) said players need six weeks for adaptation.

“First one engages in exercise to adapt like warming an engine. During this period, it is about basic endurance, to tune the body to have ability to start exercise. The training psycho-circle comes in phases. It might come parallel and done in different doses. Strength and power activities are done differently. Coaches need to learn how to plan and conduct proper training to avoid damaging athletes,” Mnyamana-Rutsate said.

“Hurriedly done exercises and rushing to competitions without measuring an athlete’s adaptation to training is risky as it can damage an athlete,” she said.

Mnyamana-Rutsate said few coaches develop individual training programmes for their athletes based on analysis of different body strengths and speed differences.

Following a long-layoff spanning 14 months, coaches will be hoping their players are ready for high-intensity matches they face and won’t sustain serious injuries.

Besides unavoidable injuries caused by tackles, it is twisting of an ankle or knee and disc injuries, which coaches will pray don’t befall their players as a result of heavy loads.

Most players pick up injuries at the beginning of the season and stay on the sidelines for long periods due to poor preseason training.
The key for clubs with the luxury of a full squad complement lies in player rotation.

Teams like Highlanders, who have 17 outfield players after failing to register six new players without international transfer certificates, will be praying that they don’t lose more players to injury.

Injuries will spell disaster for Bosso in a competition where each team is permitted to field five substitutes. – @ZililoR