PSL to have short season break

By Sikhumbuzo Moyo

Local football players are set to have less than a month’s off season break as part of the country’s transitional period to bring the local football in line with the major leagues in the world as well as changes in the Caf calendar.

The Premier Soccer League recently proposed to change its football calendar which runs from March to November so that its in line with major leagues the world over whose calendar runs from August to June the following year.

Sources close to the discussions revealed to this publication that authorities want to adopt the Kenyan model of transition.

Kenya was using the same calendar as Zimbabwe but they too recently resolved to change it and bring it in line with the Caf calendar and according to the Kenyan model, the current season will end this October with the new season getting underway in December up to June 2019 and there after, it will run from August 2019 to June 2020.

“To wait for August will present a lot of administrative and contractual problems for clubs and even sponsors so indications are that we might have only a three-week off season before resumption of our games. I am not sure how attainable that arrangement will be but so far it looks to be the only way out,” said a source privy to the behind the scenes discussions.

Zimbabwe has previously tried to implement the August to May calendar but poor drainage in most stadiums forced the authorities to revert back to the March to November calendar.

Another option though will be to halt the changes and allow stadium owners to work on their facilities and have the new system coming into place in 2020. Sunday News.