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What’s in City Press sport today: Safa tells refs to keep fit; Olympic committee insists planning continues for Tokyo

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In City Press sport, March 22, 2020
In City Press sport, March 22, 2020

Bosso ke mang?

The SA Football Players Union (Safpu) has called for cool heads amid this week’s conflicting statements from the domestic football bosses and the sports minister in reaction to the effects of the Covid-19 coronavirus on the local game.

A power struggle appeared to be the order of the day the moment Safa declared a nationwide suspension of football at all levels, by Daniel Mothowagae and Timothy Molobi

Tim Spirit column

This week, South African football bosses lost out on a great opportunity to lead the nation, all because of petty politics.

The question is: If the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic could not unite football bosses, what will it take to get harmony in our football world?

The costs of fixture suspension

The financial implications of the cancellations of football fixtures are huge. And the PSL – trading as the NSL – will in all likelihood not be spared a huge shortfall in the aftermath of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. This is the main reason that the PSL, like its international counterparts, is determined to complete the current season, despite criticism from some quarters, by Daniel Mothowagae

GRAPHIC: The state of top leagues from around the world

Time to embrace sports medicine

Amid the Covid-19 coronavirus crisis, most of the local football clubs could be forced to give players some time off as the games remain suspended.

The indefinite postponement of the programmes due to the lockdown means some PSL clubs could be presented with a challenge when it comes to keeping their players fit while in self-isolation, by Daniel Mothowagae

Safa tells refs to keep fit

Match officials have been urged to keep themselves fit during the pause in the football programmes caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Jerome Damon, chairperson of Safa’s subcommittee on refereeing, said the committee had put together a programme that match officials needed to follow, by Timothy Molobi

The domino effect

The world record for the longest domino line that was successfully tilted over consisted of 15 524 stones, and it took exactly five minutes and four seconds from the time the first stone was tipped to when the last one fell.

Unprecedented disruptions caused by Covid-19 have left the world of sport in disarray, and there are many unknowns. But, like the stones in a domino row, seemingly unconnected events are intertwined and the decisions made by sports officials in one country have had an effect on matters in another.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t

Sports officials and organisations are facing anxious and worrying times in the wake of the havoc caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus.

With sporting codes across most of the world having ground to a standstill, officials will at some stage find out that making the decision to halt sport was much easier than deciding what comes next. Earlier in the week, German Bundesliga club Borussia Moenchengladbach said that their players had – without being asked – told the club that they would voluntarily take a pay cut

Hanging Judge column; In all things, consider the mental health of referees

I was delighted to see that the PSL decided to cancel all of this weekend’s matches because of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

This will bring enormous relief to all concerned, not least the players and especially match officials.

We referees are a hardy bunch.

Side Entry column: It’s time we drew a line under the exhausting flirtation with AB’s return

What with the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak having raided SuperSport’s live coverage cupboard to the point where it is bare, our staple sporting diet as we self-isolate is on DStv Catch Up, where you can relive pretty much every memorable event from the past decade or so, writes Simnikiwe Xabanisa

Cricket not as hurt by virus as other codes, says Faul

Cricket SA (CSA) was decisive in announcing its decision to cancel all cricket in the country for 60 days following the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus. It’s a decision that has brought a somewhat fitting end to a season in which cricket has been through the wringer, both on and off the field.

But with the domestic cricket season yet to be concluded, the call has left the governing body with a few loose ends to tie up, such as deciding the champions of the remaining domestic competitions, including the Four-Day Franchise Series and the Momentum One-Day Cup. CSA acting chief executive Jacques Faul explains the rationale behind the governing body’s thinking, by Simnikiwe Xabanisa

Olympic committee insists planning continues for Tokyo

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has still not yet cancelled its events.

Instead, the IOC is steadfast in its determination to host the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, which are scheduled to take place in July and August.

The sports controlling body, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is facing a huge dilemma whatever it decides. If it cancels the Games, it will face losses running into the billions, but if it goes ahead, it faces a minefield of problems – the biggest being who will actually compete in Japan in a few months’ time.

The Olympics are a meal ticket for lawyers, with court cases looming large if the event is cancelled.

Sanzaar contest still thin on detail

There are as many questions as there are answers as southern hemisphere ruling body Sanzaar scrambles to get some kind of rugby played in its three main regions following the blanket sporting pause caused by the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

While discussions are under way for the rules of engagement under which South Africa, New Zealand and Australia shall establish their own regional competitions in the wake of the indefinite suspension of the Super Rugby tournament, the Aussies announced their own new competition this week, by Simnikiwe Xabanisa

Boks star thanks doctors for saving his leg

World Rugby’s player of the year for 2019 Pieter-Steph du Toit did not realise just how serious his injury was when he was taken off the field during the Stormers’ Super Rugby match against the Blues at Newlands last month. However, the 27-year-old said his injuries have made him the person he is today

We’ll make a comeback, vows Lions boss

A difficult draw, rather than the exodus of players last season, is being given by the Lions as the main reason their Super Rugby side managed to win just one of its six matches this season

Sunshine Tour joins global golf pause

The Sunshine Tour is the latest to suspend all of its golf tournaments as the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the world.

This follows world golf’s decision to stand down amid the current uncertainty around the global spread of Covid-19. The tour actually finds itself in a better position than most tours considering its new schedule is only set to tee off with the Africa Swing in May, so there is a chance that it could still save much of its schedule.


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