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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter

Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairman Farai Jere has pleaded with authorities to consider the soccer industry’s request for resumption to help protect players from possible career ending injuries from money games they’re currently involved in to make ends meet.

Speaking on radio programme Morning Grill, Jere said Covid-19 had hit the football industry hard, as clubs are burdened by continuing to pay players’ salaries and other costs, while generating no income.

Jere said clubs are ready for resumption of the game and will abide by all Covid-19 standard operating protocols.

He indicated that the delay was being felt in the topflight and players are keeping themselves active by participating in unsanctioned games.

“What we are working on are modalities for football to return. Clubs are prepared and want to see production from their assets (players) active. They’ve been paying salaries for no returns. Since Covid-19 started last year, it has been expenses and more expenses for clubs. Right now, we have problems where clubs want to renew contracts for players that didn’t give them any service the previous year,” said Jere.

“If you look across our borders, the players in South Africa and Zambia are coming from home and even when we were given the green light to train last year, our players trained coming from home and we never had problems. Protocols were observed with all clubs employing health officers at their training facilities.

“so, if you look at our players, these guys are not sitting at home, but playing social soccer although we haven’t heard any incidents. It’s us administrators that think players are lying idle when in fact they are active,” he said,

Zifa board member for finance Phillimon Machana said funding remains the biggest constraint to restarting the game.

He said Zifa had done its part by releasing funds to all PSL teams to fund Covid-19 tests for players and officials, but the Government and PSL failed to chip in to help make the bio-bubble tournament a success. – @ZililoR