By late Thursday it was still not clear whether Kaizer Chiefs would honour their game against Sekhukhune United at FNB Stadium on Sunday at 6pm.
Chiefs decided not to honour their last two fixtures against Golden Arrows and Cape Town City due to a high number of Covid-19 cases in their camp.
The club had asked the PSL to postpone the matches against City, Arrows, Sekhukhune, Royal AM and Maritzburg United due to the cases that led to the shutdown of their headquarters Naturena, but the league has thus far remained silent.
Stadium management CEO Bertie Grobbelaar said the FNB Stadium had been booked for Sunday's game, and that booking had not been cancelled by on Thursday.
“In terms of our agreement it is booked. Last week [when Chiefs were meant to face City], the gates were not locked but the fixture was cancelled from Chiefs with us in terms of our agreement,” Grobbelaar told Sowetan on Thursday.
“So at this point, nothing is cancelled from Chiefs. We are preparing as normal.”
Asked for comment, Chiefs spokesperson Vina Maphosa said there was no update on whether they will play on Sunday or not.
However, Sekhukhune were training as normal as they continued with their preparations for the match on Sunday despite not being sure if it would happen.
“We are training as normal, preparing like any other upcoming game,” a club official who asked not to be named said on Thursday.
“We have not been told otherwise as far as we are concerned. We are playing on Sunday and the guys are looking forward to the match.”
Meanwhile, AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy came out and defended Chiefs after they opted not to pitch for their past two matches.
McCarthy said Chiefs shouldn’t be forced to play reserve team players for something beyond their control.
“If the protocols are followed by all teams then I don’t see why matches should be cancelled,” McCarthy said.
“Kaizer Chiefs is just an unfortunate case where currently the pandemic spread through the entire team.
“So I hope that the right thing gets done there and Chiefs don’t get punished for something that’s happening in the world.
“We have to show compassion because at the end of the day people's safety and the players are far more important than a football match.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.