DURBAN - The suspension of professional soccer in the country due to the coronavirus has financially affected most teams.
It has been widely reported that local football teams have cut salaries of their staff to keep above water. To add salt to injury, PSL chairman Irvin Khoza has confirmed that teams will not receive their R2.5 million monthly grants beyond June 30 if football doesn't return in the country.
“The 30th of June is the end of the grants for the PSL teams; everybody must see for themselves because nobody can give money when you are doing nothing, providing no service, no contract. So, it's a challenge that's why it's a question of balancing the act. It's not being insensitive, it's a reality that is facing us,” he said.
Clubs like Bloemfontein Celtic have struggled to pay full salaries to the players and their technical team, with chairman Max Tshabalala confirming previously that their financial woes have worsened.
In May Amazulu informed their players that they will have to take a salary cut brought about by the coronavirus pandemic that has led to the national lockdown.
Cape-Town City owner John Comitis announced that his club’s players and technical staff will have to take a 20 percent pay cut if there was no resumption of football in May.
While both the PSL and Safa are confident of resuming the season, the decision to allow soccer matches to resume lies with the South African government to ease coronavirus regulations and allow competitive matches to take place even if it's behind closed doors like in Germany, Italy and England.
Khoza added that if no resolution is found by June 30 it wouldn't make sense to continue paying the monthly grants if teams aren't providing a service to the league.
Safa has maintained that no football should be played under Level 3 of the lockdown which is expected to come to an end on June 30. However, it's unclear if the country's FA will endorse the PSL for football to return under Level 2 lockdown when making submissions to Minister of Sport Nathi Mthethwa, Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize and Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula.
Meanwhile, in Zimbabwe, the suspension of all football activities due to the lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 has seen the players and football clubs struggling financially.
Players from top Zimbabwean clubs have fallen on hard times financially and have resorted to earning money from playing in so-called ‘money games’ in the streets of Harare.
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