PSL 2020/21 season to be delayed by at least a week

Phakaaathi understands that the season is likely to be delayed until the weekend of October 16-19 even if Safa do not organise a friendly for the Fifa international week, with the PSL also concerned about the amount of international players they could lose to other countries in that time.

The start date for the 2020/21 season is set to be confirmed at a meeting of the Premier Soccer League Board of Governors today, with the restart now pencilled in for the weekend of October 16-18.

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PSL chairman Irvin Khoza had originally said the new campaign would kick off on October 9, but that is during a Fifa international week, and with the South African Football Association indicating to the PSL that they intend to play a friendly over that time, the season kick off has had to be delayed.

It is unclear for now whether the season will kick off with the Absa Premiership or the MTN8, but the league are going to have to cram fixtures into the calendar, with this season shortened after last season had to be extended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The is likely to be no need for the kind of bio-bubble that had to be created for the end of last season, meanwhile, especially with the country set to go into lockdown level 1 this week, further relaxing the government’s COVID-19 regulations.

There were two PSL Executive Committee meetings already last week, and Executive Committee member and former Bidvest Wits CEO Jose Ferreira told the South African Football Journalists Association: “In terms of what will happen next season, it is not my job to divulge, but plans are afoot, we are already working hard, and I think clubs shouldn’t have difficulties following through (on our plans). The bubble demonstrated that we had one of the most successful resumptions (after an interruption for COVID-19) in the world.

“It is a credit to the league and to the clubs, who followed through in terms of the protocols, which were some of the most stringent in the world. We did that deliberately but it was a huge success and no doubt whatever plan the league comes up with going forward will be just as successful.”