Stars to take more time off
Munene said they want to encourage the players to train at home on their own.
Local football clubs will have to wait much longer before they can get back into action.
The Easterns Local Football Association (ELFA) had recently suspended the league due to a rise in Covid-19 cases.
The suspension was to carry on until June 24 (last Thursday). When the date came around, ELFA sent out a statement saying there would be more time with no soccer being played.
“The status quo remains. That is that all football matches and training remains suspended,” said the statement from ELFA’s chairperson, Bruce King.
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“We will review the situation every two weeks and then make a decision.”
The statement came out a few days before President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa would have stronger lockdown restrictions due to the third wave of Covid-19 on Sunday.
The latest lockdown restrictions (level four) do not prohibit the participation of sport at a professional or amateur level. Safa has also not suspended matches, but ELFA felt the Ekurhuleni regions had far too many positive cases of the virus for the season to continue.
“It’s demoralising,” said Brakpan Spurs manager Jabulani Munene.
“It’s especially bad for the young ones. Our u-17 side was having a good season as they have only lost once, which was the first game of the season.”
Munene said they want to encourage the players to train at home on their own.
Another thing that concerns Munene is the club’s use of the Brakpan Sports Grounds.
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“Our sponsor paid for us to use the stadium for the rest of the season, but I don’t know if they will give us a refund or if the payment will still be valid when the league resumes later,” he said.
“Normally, they give us problems regarding the stadium.”
There is hope among those involved with the league that the season may resume in a few months.
“We normally play cup games after the league season. This year we might have to sacrifice the cup to finish the league matches. We still need to play the second round of matches,” said Munene.
The third wave of Covid-19 cases has also seen rugby and golf competitions being suspended.
The Valke Peregrine league is due to restart on July 12, which is a day after the government is supposed to decide on whether the lockdown laws can be eased or not.
Many, however, feel the 2021 club rugby season will be abandoned.
“I don’t think there is a way the clubs can come back after a month again,” Brakpan Rugby Club chairperson Harry Nieuwenhuis recently told the Herald.
