The president of the republic has delivered the outcome of an emergency Cabinet meeting on the 15th of March regarding the republic’s response to the Corona virus pandemic. He outlined the plans to prevent the spread of the virus throughout the country, in all its spheres. For us, the important message is that gatherings of 100 or more people is prohibited. Below is the link to the President’s speech.
Prior to the speech by the President of the republic, on the 14th of March 2020, SAFA issued a statement whose message was that the country is not in a state of panic, and that football will continue. This was the message:
It is our considered view that there is no need to panic at this stage. The virus is not an epidemic yet. We are positive that the situation will improve rather than worsen. We believe that there is no need to either suspend or postpone the football program in the country at this stage. This position could change, pending the developments in the spread of the virus. We are reviewing the situation on a continuous basis.
SAFA 1st Statement
Find the full statement here: https://www.safa.net/2020/03/14/safa-statement-on-the-coronavirus/
Subsequent the President’s address, SAFA revised its message and said:
On behalf of the National Executive Committee of the South African Football Association (SAFA), all members of SAFA are advised to suspend and/or postpone all football matches and football events that are attended by more 100 people in the country until further notice.
SAFA 2nd Statement
Find the full statement here: https://www.safa.net/2020/03/16/safa-on-the-national-state-of-disaster-of-the-corona-virus-disease/
Taking queue from the national leadership both in government and at SAFA, PLFA Executive Committee has taken a decision to suspend / postpone all the fixtures for 30 days with immediate effect. We will monitor the situation within these 30 days and update the Membership with additional elements of the prevention of the spread of the virus.
In addition to the above, we will observe the following:
- Teleconference meetings should be considered as the preferred method, with Face-to-Face meetings only being held when absolutely required;
- Keep meetings to a maximum of 10 people and make sure there is enough personal space for everybody. Our guideline is to allow at least 2m of personal space;
- No large gatherings (30 people or more) allowed until further notice. This includes training. Meaning that training can be planned such that there are teams of less than 30 players at a time;
- Refrain from shaking hands. Players must be advised to refrain from personal touch at training and elsewhere;
- Washing your hands frequently is one of the best ways to prevent infection. Remember to wash your hands regularly (ten times daily) for at least 20 seconds with soap and/or sanitising hand wash;
We however do encourage that, whilst observing the above restrictions, clubs should continue to train in smaller groups at the time.
Remember, in accordance with our Rules, friendlies must be approved by the association prior to playing. Requests for friendlies must be sent to info@plfa.org.za. In considering the requests for friendlies, the consideration must be to allow the two teams and the match officials for the requested time slot. No spectators, no supporters, accompanying group. Approved friendlies will be scheduled by the association and will be no less than one hour apart to allow for compliance with the >30 restriction.
For any enquiries, please send emails to info@plfa.org.za.
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