THE Premier Soccer League (PSL) says the upcoming league season will run smoothly and on schedule despite what appears a busy calendar ahead.
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The hugely-anticipated league campaign was expected to kick off next weekend, but the start has been moved to a later date as they are still finalising the broadcasting schedule with their broadcast partners SuperSport.
PSL last week released a fixture list for the season and the league start was set to be ratified at the governing body’s annual general meeting (AGM) on Sunday, but the indaba failed to take place because of a congested weekend programme and will now be held this weekend.
FC Platinum were playing in the Caf Confederation Cup while Zifa had an extraordinary general meeting.
PSL boss Kennedy Ndebele, without giving the exact date on when the league will eventually kickoff, confirmed that the start will be delayed because of broadcasting logistics.
However, there are fears the delay would likely to put a strain on the league schedule considering the many international assignments that the country would be involved in this year, including a proposed two-week mid-season break.
The Cosafa Cup starts in May and the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers begin the following month while the World Cup qualifiers are expected to roar into life in October.
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In between, there would be Olympic and All-Africa Games qualifiers for the Young Warriors which the PSL have to accommodate in their schedule.
But Ndebele has said despite what looks like a busy calendar, the PSL would not be disrupted and will end before the November 30 deadline for clubs to register for Caf club competitions.
“People should not be worried about that (the delay). They should just wait for the season to start and see if we will not finish on schedule,” Ndebele said.
“The season will definitely not start next weekend because there are other things which we are still looking at. For example, we are still finalising the broadcasting schedule, so the dates will be confirmed when that is complete,” Ndebele added.
The PSL had tentatively put March 7 as the date the season would begin, but will instead use the weekend to host the Bob 91 Super Cup final between Dynamos and Caps United.
Other issues that were set to be discussed at the AGM include the league sponsorship, competitions, and the 2014 season review and financial statements. Two competitions, the Chibuku Super Cup (16 teams) and One Wallet Cup (eight teams) have been confirmed.
The PSL governors were set to review the league’s standing orders and fines with some set to be amended. Stadiums to be used next season were set to be discussed at the meeting.
