Amateur Football Set To Return To South Africa This Weekend!

Amateur Football Set To Return To South Africa This Weekend! This country has not seen amateur football in over 1 year.

When Covid-19 restrictions were eased, it was only professional football that returned. Even when it returned, all teams had to be based in Gauteng and complete their seasons in a bio-bubble.

This saw disruptions to all levels of amateur football.

Earlier this year the PSL, in conjunction with DSTV, announced their newest initiative. The DSTV Diski Challenge, where 16 teams compete in a round robin format to eventually crown the winner.

Chief Medical Officer of SAFA and the Covid-19 Compliance Officer Dr Thulani Ngwenya urged all involved to remain cautious despite the leniency of the virus.

“The truth of the matter is, Covid-19 is our reality and we should learn to live with it – at least for now. So having said that, clubs must be vigilant when they resume matches,” Dr Thulani Ngwenya said.

“It is going to be crucial that they continue with safety protocols so as not to spread the virus and lead to another wave,” he added

“Ideally, every team member or person participating in a match should be tested, but we know that teams unfortunately cannot afford that service – that being the case, it becomes very important that they follow the rules as prescribed regarding Covid-19, being: sanitize all the time, no sharing of equipment, masks on when you on the bench, safe distance on the bench, everyone goes home after the match unless you are playing away.”

“We came across many challenges but thanks to teamwork we were able to overcome them, so it is equally important that the same happens in amateur football – if not, we could find ourselves in trouble,” added Dr Ngwenya.

“Yes, the circumstances are the not the same – professional clubs were in a bubble, for example – but at the end of the day it is all about the fight against Covid-19 and we have to do the best we can. This is by far the biggest fight of our lives and the approach has to be consistent with safety protocols.” He continued

Amateur Football Set To Return To South Africa This Weekend!