PSL chairman Irvin Khoza clarifies PSL fixture delay

The document, however, will be a draft before the final schedule goes out to broadcasters, the media and other public platforms. 

Speaking at the announcement of Betway as the new title sponsor for the premier division, Khoza offered clarity. 

"When you draw a fixture [list], there are a lot of elements that we have to take into account – CAF dates, FIFA dates, players' rest, because if you play 58 games, you need recovery," explained the chairman.

"The Labour Relations Act demands that the players must get three weeks' leave out of their schedule, and when you give fixtures, it must be fixtures that are not going to change, stop and go."

Khoza added that the MTN8 will kick-off on 2 August, noting that the planning around matches for the new campaign was done with the supporters in mind. 

"We've been very consistent in making sure our fixtures are always aligned accordingly. The supporters are waiting for the fixtures to be out, and tell me what's going to happen when the fixtures are out, if we did not do what we are doing now," he added.

"Fortunately we've got eight teams in the Exco, with so much [consideration] of their supporters' welfare at heart, we want to produce fixtures that will assist them to plan properly.

"So that's why the fixture are being introduced in the manner that we are doing, so to assist them [supporters] to plan."

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