Injury risk, loss of momentum worry for PSL clubs

SOME Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs have given their players a break in this venue-crisis inspired break.

Clubs may get another break, the traditional half season stoppage at the half way mark, making it a stop-start affair, as clubs are set to battle to get their players’ engines up and running.

Injuries and a loss of momentum are among the chief worries for gaffers in the league after the PSL announced last week that it was taking a break with immediate effect to allow for refurbishment works at Rufaro, Nyamhunga and Sakubva stadium to be completed, before normal business resumes on July 1.

However, the break effectively means that the sides in the league will find it difficult to get their rhythm, as the PSL is also due to go on a mid season break soon after the resumption of hostilities between the clubs in the local top flight.

Local Premiership outfits that include Hwange, Dynamos, Bulawayo Chiefs, Chicken Inn and Highlanders among others have since granted their respective players some time off with Gamecocks head coach Prince Matore revealing they will re-group next week.

“We gave our players some time off. They will be no league action for weeks and all in an effort to guard against player burn out, we saw it necessary to give our players some days off.

However, they will follow some individual training programmes. We hope that those who had injuries will also get sometime to recover,” said Matore.

Former champions Dynamos held their last training session last week Thursday and their Bulawayo based players have been spotted in the city.

So have been Chipangano players.
Bulawayo Chiefs media liaison officer Thulani “Javas” Sibanda also told this publication that their arsenal will be going for breather.

“They (players) have been given some individual training programmes to follow. This was after a technical team consultation,” said Sibanda.

The PSL’s decision to halt matches was necessitated by the Sport and Recreation Commission’s (SRC) option to have games played without fans at the National Sports Stadium.

Some local football fans were taken aback to learn that PSL had taken a decision to have a three -week break last Wednesday, after the SRC, who own National Sports Stadium indicated that the facility needed maintenance work done.

The National Sports Stadium reportedly posed a health hazard, as the facility which has hosted 44 PSL matches in 12 weeks had gone for at least two months without water.

Ablution facilities and water reticulation systems at the National Sports Stadium broke down, with the turf also worn out due to over-use.

The SRC advised the PSL through a statement that fans would not be allowed at the National Sports Stadium, with matches limited to two per week to improve the turf.

Eight clubs-Dynamos, Caps United, Herentals, Yadah, Black Rhinos, Cranborne Bullets, Simba Bhora and ZPC Kariba have been using the National Sports Stadium.

Demeed Zimbabwe’s ceremonial home of football, Rufaro Stadium, is still going through renovations, with Simba Bhora wrapping up works at Shamva’s Wadzanai Stadium while ZPC Kariba recently got a lease with Nyamhunga Stadium owners.

PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele said it was not possible to have matches played behind closed doors as clubs are yet to recover from the Covid-19 losses.

“Leadership is about making decisions and we made a decision that we felt was good for football, our partners who include sponsors and fans.

We know that there are some critics who have other ideas, but clubs are still recovering from Covid-19 losses and playing in an empty stadium wouldn’t have made sense.

Playing in an empty stadium with a hire of US$1 000 charged for the National Sports Stadium would not be good for football.

Other costs that clubs have to incur include referees’ fees, security and ambulance charges.

The other thing, fans have been warming up to watching local games, they have been shown that with ever improving attendance figure showing how passionate they are and we can’t reverse the strides taken to bring them in,” said Ndebele. — @FungaiMuderere