PSL Chairman Dr Irvin Khoza, March 2020BackpagePix

Finishing PSL in one province our best option - Khoza confirms proposed national camp

PSL chairman Irvin Khoza has confirmed that a national camp based in one province would conclude the 2019/20 season.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the indefinite suspension of the current season since mid-March.

Last week, the South African Football Association (Safa) announced that the government has approved the protocol of regulations that will allow for PSL teams to resume training.

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Khoza explained that such camp will ensure the government's health protocols are met by all 16 PSL clubs, but he did not reveal when the season is likely to resume.

“Finishing the season in one province is our best option. We have to control the environment because the risk is all over at the moment. We are doing our best to create an environment that will minimize the risk," Khoza told IOL.

"What we are doing is what we call a medically justifiable approach where players will be placed in a suitable environment that will stop any interaction with the people not involved in the game.

“You will go to the training and then come back to the same place that we will choose. If you don’t come back after training you won’t be allowed to go back.

“We are doing everything possible because if you leave home and go to work [training], it is a risk. If you go to shops, it is another risk.

"But if you are in that environment, you won’t go to shops, you will be kept in one place. That way we will not increase the risk of infection."

It has been reported that the national camp is likely to be staged in Limpopo or North West because of the low number of positive coronavirus cases in these provinces.

“It could be any province. We are talking to few provinces at the moment. They are offering options. There’s a committee that has been chosen to monitor that. They are dealing with that. The committee will meet again on Friday [today],” Khoza added

The PSL has been given two weeks to inform the world football governing body, Fifa, when they are planning to conclude the season with South Africa having gone into lockdown in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.

“It is not only about levels of the lockdown. There are other deadlines that we have to meet. Fifa doesn’t talk about levels of lockdown but it talks about the calendar," Khoza continued.

"If we haven’t finished this calendar, it is a problem. We have to inform Fifa by the end of this month as to when are we resuming our activities.

"Fortunately, the minister [Nathi Mthethwa] is aware of those deadlines. That’s why we had to submit our training programme.

"They understand the urgency of the matter and timeline of our deadlines."

Chippa United chairman Siviwe Mpengesi has already said that they would be open to completing the current season in a national camp.

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