Coronavirus: We won't be surprised if there are many PSL injuries – Larsen

Polokwane City manager Clinton Larsen says the ministry of Sport and Health is not responsible for running football in South Africa but the Premier Soccer League (PSL) is.

He also discussed his hopes and fears for the restart of the PSL. The Rise and Shine boss shared his sentiments after an announcement by the Sports minister Nathi Mthethwa who gave the clubs under the PSL banner, the go-ahead as to returning to training on the field of play on Monday.

Larsen also explains how the coronavirus pandemic has affected his players and technical team, saying nobody in football has ever experienced such a long time with no active football.

“Well, basically the teams rely on the PSL for correspondence and we are waiting for the PSL to send us an email as they do to all the clubs, [to say] listen you have the green light,” Larsen told Goal.

“I understand teams are testing and stuff like that but the PSL is the one and not the ministry of health or the ministry of sport. These two ministries do not run football in South Africa but the PSL and Safa [South African Football Association].

“These are the only bodies that can notify the clubs to say you can return to training now and which protocols must be put in place.

“Yes, there was a document sent to all the clubs from the PSL clearly stating that testing must be done two to seven days prior to beginning training. So, if you look, some teams tested outside of that window which means they’ll have to test again.

“So, I think it also comes down to interpretation, some teams have been interpreting it [the contents] differently but I’m sure the league will clear that up shortly.

“Yes, there is a glimmer of hope but remember training and playing are two different things and a lot can happen between us starting to train and play you know.

"So, like I said it’s up to all 32 teams to follow the protocols put in place religiously, and that is left to be seen if the teams comply. So, we’ll just have to wait and see.

“Hopefully everybody does and we take back to training and playing again. So, it’s up to the clubs now to follow these strict measures put in place so that we can get on with football.”

Speaking about the state of mind of his players and his technical team where they have to train from the comfort of their homes, the former Bafana Bafana midfielder says it’s a challenging time for everyone.

“I don’t think anybody in football has seen this before. Three months without football is unheard of. Yes, four weeks in the past in the case of the off-season and you come back for pre-season,” he added.

“Three months is the longest any player had to be out. So, it’s difficult for coaches and players. We won’t be surprised by a lot of injuries on a return like it has happened across Europe.

“I hope we will get the necessary time for the players to get up to speed but I do believe there will be injuries across all clubs. I just hope the powers that be will give the necessary time to go back to prepare for the matches.”