IT has been a nightmare of a sports blackout of live action. As a sport person, I relate what faith enthusiasts feel about not being able to go to church and fellowship or imbibers unable to sit around a braai and enjoy a few cold ones with their friends.
Slowly, action returns in dribs and drabs. Germany, home of the Bundesliga and famous sports apparel Adidas and Puma, set the ball rolling by becoming the first European professional league to play again, albeit without fans. Then it was the Portuguese Primeira League and before month-end, the English Premier League and La Liga.
Serie A will hopefully follow suit soon, while France’s Ligue 1 and the Dutch Eredivisie have long been called off. How much gusto teams have to complete their programmes remain to be seen. South Africa’s domestic season still awaits word from the government on when it can be back in action. One thing is certain; the sport-loving public itches for live action and football, being the biggest sport in the world, has the bulk of followers waiting on tenterhooks. Once action returns and fans are allowed back at stadiums, which I do not see happening immediately, it becomes everyone’s responsibility to ensure we observe all health protocols to fight the further spread of the virus.
In the midst of it all, the Absa Premiership will be history and I know the National Soccer League is hard at work to secure another big sponsor. Knowing the amount of clout Dr Irvin Khoza and Kaizer Motaung command in the local space among corporates, a new and improved deal is on the cards and clubs bosses can finally enjoy a decent night’s sleep.
Part of the money they receive as monthly grants, goes a long way to help run their clubs and pay salaries for players to take care of themselves and their families. This hiatus has given the younger generations an opportunity to watch some of their favourite personalities in action through the repeats that have been churned on our screens with annoying repetition.
Your Ace Mnini, Patrick Pule ‘Ace’ Ntsoelengoe, Teenage Dladla, Doctor Khumalo, Owen Da Gama, Mark Tovey et al are some famous names they have heard about, but never got to see them in action. Watching the Kaizer Chiefs supremo on the bench back in the day must have evoked some interesting memories.
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