July 9 – South Africa’s FA (SAFA) has confirmed it will oversee all procedures relating to ‘return-to-play’ protocols after the country’s Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa urged the federation and the Premier Soccer League to work together to pave the way for a resumption in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier this week, Mthethwa penned a letter to SAFA instructing the body to ensure the PSL and its 32-member clubs comply with stringent protocols amid suggestions that positive cases were not being made public.
As things stand, only a handful of clubs, including Kaizer Chiefs, Bloemfontein Celtic, Orlando Pirates, Cape Town City, Stellenbosch FC, Swallows FC and TS Galaxy, have gone public about confirmed positive cases within their camps according to South African reports
In the letter communicated directly to SAFA, Mthethwa made it clear the country’s FA and its members would be “responsible for any claim for damages or negligence arising as a result of failure to take reasonable measures in curbing the spread of Covid-19.”
A number of clubs have complied with the rules but SAFA has now appointed two compliance officers to work with the clubs.
In a statement SAFA said it had “started to put all the processes into motion following the letter from the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Mr Nathi Mthethwa explaining all procedures on the return to football and play.”
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