Clubs will be required to conduct one more round of Covid-19 testing before they enter the PSL's 'bio-bubble’

14 July 2020 - 15:31 By Mahlatse Mphahlele
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Lebogang Manyama gets ready for training at the club's Naturena base in the south of Johannesburg on July 6 2020.
Lebogang Manyama gets ready for training at the club's Naturena base in the south of Johannesburg on July 6 2020.
Image: Kaizer Chiefs/Twitter

Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs will be required to conduct one more round of Covid-19 testing of their players and essential staff before they enter the 'bio-bubble’ in Gauteng to complete the season.

Most clubs did the first round of testing before they returned to controlled training with Stellenbosch FC‚ Bloemfontein Celtic and Kaizer Chiefs reporting positive cases among players and staff.

“There is not going to be continuous testing‚ there are two tests‚” explained PSL chairman Irvin Khoza.

“The first tests (have already been done by the clubs) and the second round of testing will be 48 hours before you go into the bubble.

"That’s why we are trying to debunk this myth that when we are playing football we manufacture Covid-9.

"We are saying that people who are going into the bubble must have been tested for the last time to make sure that whoever goes in there is negative.

"As we speak now‚ the PSL has opened up an account with one of the two big two laborotaries to make it easy for those who don’t have money to conduct their tests.”

The positive cases from the first round of testing were at Stellenbosch after reported three staff members‚ at Celtic it was midfielder Given Mashikinya‚ who has since recovered‚ while Chiefs reported two unnamed players.

This was in addition to midfielder Ben Motswari of Orlando Pirates who was the first player in the PSL to test positive. He has also since fully recovered and is back training.

There have been allegations in the last few weeks that some of the teams in the Absa Premiership and in the GladAfrica Championship broke lockdown regulations by returning to training early.

Khoza said those teams put people’s lives in danger.

“If it is true that there are people who were training without permission of the minister‚ as event organisers we will be held liable for anything‚" he said.

"That’s why we can’t allow anyone to risk with the lives of people and behaving as if things are normal.

"It is unfortunate if that has happened‚ people don’t respect the law and don’t respect life.

“Government required every club to submit their operational plans.

"In there were conditions to be monitored and that is why government went to the various stadiums to check.

"We have gone against the grain of complying first before training.

"One of the conditions in there we asked for was that everybody must do testing to make sure if there is a fatality and the insurance company asks questions‚ we are able to say that we complied with the requirements.”


subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now