Revised budget for tourney

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Premier Soccer League (PSL) has been asked to revise the US$1 million budget intended for the December tournament that will be used as a dress rehearsal for 2021 competitions.

After an eight-month hiatus due to Covid-19 global pandemic, the country’s football flagship — PSL — clubs resumed training last week, with some like Ngezi Platinum Stars beginning yesterday after getting their coronavirus results.

Before being cleared to start the process of Covid-19 tests, Zifa had presented to Government through the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) a budget of US$1 million for a “mini-league” tournament that is to run for two weeks.

Sources within Zifa and PSL told this publication that the topflight league has been directed to “reduce” the budget after the football motherbody indicated that they are not in a position to “fund alone” the competition despite coming up with the figures.

The league’s chairman Farai Jere is on record saying they are contemplating on having teams competing in about four groups, with the top two proceeding to the next stage. According to sources, this will significantly reduce the budget but there’s a catch, there mustn’t be a compromise for the bio-bubble.

“We might have to take four teams and we group them to play at Mandava Stadium (in Zvishavane) in round robin format while the same happens in other approved stadiums although the number of teams in some groups might be higher in order to accommodate the 18 PSL teams.

“The top two teams in each group can them meet as we head for the finals. However, we are still fine-tuning the plans and will come up with something concrete in the coming weeks,” Jere was quoted.

“What is happening now is that teams are training while Zifa and PSL are working on coming up with a feasible budget, not that US$1 million which was initially tabled. The PSL has been tasked to review the budget, whose bulk will be chewed by accommodation.

Remember, the teams will have to go into a bio-bubble for two weeks and have to immediately report for that camp once they are Covid-19 tests are done to isolate them from the rest of the world until the games are done.”

Said a source: “In as much as the budget is being reviewed, there mustn’t be a compromise on how teams will be accommodated in the bio-bubble.”

Zifa is hardpressed for the PSL teams to play football before the end of the year to allow national team selectors to identify players that will do duty at next year’s Chan finals in Cameroon.
-@ZililoR