Premier Soccer League Withholds 2024 Season Fixtures
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The Premier Soccer League (PSL) says it will not release the 2024 league fixtures until the Eastern Region Division One Soccer League (ERSL) promotion saga has been resolved.
The new season is scheduled to commence in exactly two weeks tomorrow, but teams are yet to be furnished with the fixture schedules for matchday one as the legal battle for promotion in the ERSL between Bikita Minerals and Tenax is yet to be concluded.
The case is now before the ZIFA Appeals Committee and will resume with a full hearing on 16 February, just seven days before the season kicks off.
The judgment is set to be released a few days before the season starts.
Bikita Minerals were promoted to the top flight following a boardroom decision but the move was challenged by Tenax who had finished top of the log standings on the final day of the season.
Speaking to NewsDay on Thursday, 08 February, PSL spokesperson Kudzai Bare said the fixtures will only be released after the ERSL promotion saga has been settled. She said:
We are just waiting for the verdict of the Eastern Region saga, then we release the fixtures.
Asked if that would not delay the start of the 2024 PSL league season, Bare responded:
We will see how best we will manage it. Also, the other issue is that we are waiting for the stadiums to be inspected.
My understanding is that the First Instance Board (FIB) has been appointed to do the inspections.
So, the stadiums need to be inspected first before anything else happens.
The FIB is responsible for inspecting stadiums to ensure they meet the bare minimum requirements to host top-flight matches.
The committee also ensures that clubs adhere to CAF and FIFA club licensing requirements.
The ZIFA Normalisation Committee has appointed former Warriors welfare manager and CAF general co-ordinator Sharrif Mussa as the new FIB chairperson, replacing Xolisani Gwesela.
He leads a three-member committee, which also has Violet Jubane and Gaylord Madhuguza.
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