Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Premier Soccer League (PSL) has assured its four feeder Division One leagues that there will be relegation and promotion at the end of the season.
There had been fears among lower leagues that PSL governors were planning to forego relegation in this season expected to kick-off at the end of the month.
The delay in starting the season was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which paralysed sporting competitions in Zimbabwe and beyond from March last year.
Should there be no relegation in the country’s top tier league, it would leave the four Division One clubs in limbo, as their champions would be left with nowhere to go.
“I am hearing about this for the first time. The league will adopt the same format for relegation and promotion,” PSL spokesperson Kudzai Bare told Chronicle Sport.
Clubs probably misinterpreted PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele’s comments carried by a regional publication in April when football was initially given permission to resume.
“We have decided to start with a clustered tournament without relegation of any teams. There will also be no promotion of any teams from the lower division. Look, we have gone for over one year without playing competitive football.
A lot has happened along the way and it’s only prudent for us to manage the fitness levels of the players by not putting them under intense marathon. For now, we have decided to pursue a tournament-based competition in order to try and manage the players’ fitness levels.
“That means we won’t be relegating any teams and the same goes with promotion,” Ndebele said then.
However, Ndebele was referring to the Chibuku Super Cup at a time it was unclear whether or not the league would actually be played this year.
Online Reporter