The limitation to 100 in terms of numbers allowed per gathering as declared by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday in helping to contain this deadly coronavirus pandemic, makes it very difficult for the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to even consider playing the remainder of the season behind closed doors.
The PSL head of medical Dr Lervasen Pillay stopped short of saying that on Monday when the league’s chairman announced that they have suspended their fixtures until further notice.
In the audio below, Pillay says what they need for now is clarity on the 100 limitations:
Clubs like AmaZulu FC have come out already to confirm that the players will be self-isolating until Friday when they will resume their training sessions.
Bloemfontein Celtic is taking things a step further and will be conducting COVID-19 tests on all their players and technical staff.
In the audio below, Pillay says they are in touch with all the clubs and advising on what to do during this time:
Pillay says what is important at this stage is to reduce risk and avoid a situation that has happened in some European leagues where coaches and players have tested positive for the coronavirus.
In the audio below, Pillay continues:
One of the challenges with the majority of the PSL clubs is that they don’t have doctors permanently or on-site and only call them for home matches.
This becomes a huge risk during a challenging period like this one and Pillay, a former Bidvest Wits and now Orlando Pirates medico agrees that this a serious concern. – Report by Velile Mnyandu
