Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Premier Soccer League is encouraging clubs to find means of getting their players, officials and staff tested for Covid-19 for them to start training in earnest, as they will stick to proposed competitions kick-off dates.
The PSL has proposed that competitions kick-off on the weekend of May 15-16 and conducting Covid-19 tests is the first step towards restarting of training.
Zifa had promised to fund Covid-19 tests, but the PSL said clubs that have the capacity to conduct the tests can apply to the league for the green light.
In an earlier memorandum sent to clubs, titled “Proposed football resumption roadmap”, PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele proposed that Covid-19 tests to pave way for training be done between March 25 and April 2.
Already, some PSL clubs have started the process of resuming training by funding their own Covid-19 tests.
Commending clubs for taking a proactive approach to ensuring that the league sticks to the proposed roadmap for football to restart, Ndebele said: “As has been the case in the past, registration has been slow and some clubs have started doing Covid-19 tests, which is good.
We expected clubs to move fast in making sure that they conform and comply with the directives, as we have no intentions of moving the proposed kick-off dates.”
As of yesterday morning, a week after sending the circular, five clubs, Bulawayo City, Bulawayo Chiefs, Herentals, Black Rhinos and Ngezi Platinum Stars, had done their tests and are awaiting results before resuming training.
Ndebele was also impressed that clubs like Bulawayo City and Bulawayo Chiefs had informed them that they will be taking vaccinations after receiving their Covid-19 test results.
“We are happy with the enthusiasm and commitment to restart football shown by clubs which have already taken up Covid-19 tests. We encourage clubs with resources to conduct the tests and start training after submission of results. We’re also reminding clubs that it is a serious offence to resume training without conducting Covid-19 tests, hence these tests are being done with club doctors being supervised by the PSL medical committee.
“It is our hope that by the end of this week all clubs would have done their Covid-19 tests so that we stay within the proposed football resumption roadmap.
“The other thing worth celebrating and which shows that our proposal comes to fruition is that clubs like Bulawayo Chiefs and Bulawayo City have said soon after getting their Covid-19 test results their players and officials will inoculate. This is what we’ve been encouraging in line with the Government’s programme to vaccinate the nation. We believe that taking up vaccination will also help the sports industry, particularly football,” said Ndebele.
Some clubs that were expected to communicate their Covid-19 testing programme to the PSL by yesterday are army side Cranborne Bullets, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services sides Tenax and Whawha, Chicken Inn, Caps United, Triangle and champions FC Platinum.
The country’s giants Highlanders and Dynamos, Manica Diamonds, Yadah, ZPC Kariba and Harare City are expected to ring the league before the end of the week.
According to the PSL, the Covid-19 tests have to be done at least 48 hours prior to commencement of training thereafter every every 14 days.
Players and officials that test positive for Covid-19 will be required to isolate as per Government guidelines. — @ZililoR
Online Reporter