Soccer is back – albeit in a bubble

At last, South Africa will launch its version of football in a time of Covid-19 from this weekend, as the Premier Soccer League (PSL) 2019/20 season is played to its conclusion, starting with today’s Nedbank Cup semifinals at Orlando Stadium.

It has been five months since the PSL season was postponed indefinitely, as the government banned all football, and the long wait began to see if the campaign would be concluded or, in a worst-case scenario, declared null and void.

There was a decent moral argument for the latter, in the sense that people’s safety has to take precedent, but there was also a decent moral argument for the former, in the sense that the economic devastation caused to football might have seen the end of the PSL as we know it, meaning a widespread loss of livelihood for the thousands who earn money from the game in this country.

As it is, a compromise has been reached – preparations have been given enough care that a biologically safe environment has been built in Gauteng which should create a “bubble” to keep out the virus as much as possible.

There will be no fans at the stadiums, and it may all feel a little contrived, but – much like in England, Spain and Italy – for the football economy’s sake, the show must go on.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.