Chris Theko
Vodacom Premier league teams have petitioned the Premier League Management Committee (PLMC), following the proposed resumption of the league set for May 15 2021.
The 10 teams that signed the petition want the league committee to address their grievances before the resumption of the games.
Last week Wednesday the PLMC met and decided for the resumption of football which, like other sporting activities, has been on halt since last April when the country went into a covid-19-induced national lockdown. The decision means teams only have two weeks to prepare for the resumption of the league.
Now some teams have come out guns-blazing saying that the time allocated is not enough to properly prepare while also raising their concerns on what will happen with the COSAFA Cup calendar just around the corner.
The teams: CCX, Lioli, Liphakoe, LCS, Linare, Lifofane, Matlama, Sefothafotha, Swallows and Manonyane asked for intervention from the league teams’ chairperson Lebohang Thotanyana.
Thotanyana who is also President of Lioli football club said the teams had previously asked the PLMC to tell them how movement of players would be handled and the registration of the said players for the winter transfer window period.
“The teams felt the decision to resume the league was imposed on them and rightfully asked the forum to intervene after they petitioned the PLMC,†Thotanyana said.
“The teams have asked for clarity on how things would be handled. We just needed things to be clear on what is going to happen regarding the players’ transfers, the upcoming COSAFA tournament which is around the corner where teams will end up sending their players to Likuena and the congested fixture,†he said.
He insisted that the teams that signed the petition were not against the resumption of the league but merely wanted clarity on their concerns.
However, some of the teams started pulling out of the petition and some claiming that they were never part of it to start with.
CCX Football Club from Leribe went as far as firing their Chief Executive Officer Maponyane Letsie with immediate effect for signing the petition. Club President Thetsane Moloi confirmed his sacking but declined to divulge more information.
However, for his part, Letsie confirmed receiving the letter and said he believes he was fired because he signed the petition.
“I strongly believe my sacking as CEO of the club is because I signed on behalf of the team a document presented by some of the clubs concerned with the resumption of the premier league games,†he said.