South Africans agree August restart dates for closed door finish

South African football will return to action behind closed doors with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and the Nedbank Cup, officials have announced. 

South African football came to a grinding standstill in March due to the coronavirus outbreak, but is set to resume in August in a bio-secure bubble at venues in both Johannesburg and Pretoria. Gauteng is the epicenter of the pandemic in South Africa.

The season will get kick off again with the semi-finals of the domestic FA Cup on August 8 before the PSL resumes three days. All 54 remaining matches will be played behind doors.

Mamelodi Sundowns and Bidvest Wits have nine league fixtures each to play – the most among the 16 clubs – and are still involved in the cup semi-finals which means that the winner of their respective semi-final will have to play 11 matches in 29 days.

Kaizer Chiefs, winners of a record 53 domestic competitions but seeking a first trophy in five seasons, are the league leaders with a four-point advantage over Mamelodi Sundowns. But 2016 African champions Sundowns have one match in hand as they seek a third consecutive title and a record-extending 10th overall.

South Africa has the fifth highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world with 452,529 but a relatively low death toll of 7,067. Football in Africa is gradually resuming. Morocco’s domestic topflight restarted on Monday and the Egyptian league is set for an August 6 restart.

Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at [email protected]