South African government have given the country’s FA permission to allow amateur football to resume with immediate effect
The South African Football Association (Safa) could be forced to reconsider their decision to call off the ABC Motsepe League season.
This after the SA government granted permission for all football activities to resume immediately.
On the weekend, the Safa NEC declared the 2019-20 ABC Motsepe League season across all nine provinces completed with teams occupying the first positions declared as winners.
It’s a decision which took Safa almost six months to decide on following the suspension of all football activities in March.
Now, with the government giving football the green light, Safa may revisit its decision and allow for the completion of the ABC Motsepe League season across all provinces.
In a statement released by Safa on Monday, the association said the government has warned the public to stay vigilant and cautious as the coronavirus pandemic remains present.
Safa further outlined measures all the clubs should take before football can resume, and they include the appointment of a compliance officer, the wearing of masks, sanitisation and regular washing of hands among others.
Clubs are encouraged to do daily screening for Covid-19 symptoms.
Part of the statement released by Safa reads as follows:
Among other things that the clubs need to take care of are:
• The appointment of a Compliance Officer
• Daily screening of Covid-19 symptoms
• Trying as much as possible to observe Covid-19 social distancing
• Sanitization and regular washing of hands
• Wearing of masks as much as possible at any given time, except when training is in session.
Safa acting CEO Tebogo Motlanthe said the country’s FA was happy that football would be coming back now that the country is on alert level 1 of the lockdown.
He added that the spread of the coronavirus will be curbed if all football clubs follow health and safety directives and measures as set out by the association.
“We are happy that football will now resume but our members must monitor and ensure that teams follow strict health protocols,” Motlanthe said in the statement.
“All Safa health and safety directives must be followed so that we avoid any possible spike of Covid-19 cases.”
