Alex football welcomes suspensions of amateur soccer
ALEXANDRA – Amateur football suspensions are meant to protect us all, says Malvin Khumalo.
The Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association has welcomed Safa’s suspension of all amateur football activities although with a heavy heart.
Safa announced on 8 January that it was suspending all amateur football activities in the light of the onslaught of the second wave of Covid-19. Authorities say it has come back deadlier than the first which hit the shores of the country early last year, leading to a ruthless lockdown of the country in March.
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The football controlling body’s CEO, Advocate Tebogo Motlanthe, said in a statement, “We had no option but to call off amateur football activities to protect lives, in line with government regulations and protocols under the Disaster Management Act.
“This will hopefully protect our footballers, technical staff, referees, the media and ordinary footballers and also help stop the rapid spread of the virus.”
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But the decision, painful as it may be, was welcomed by the secretary-general of the Alex Northrand LFA Malvin Khumalo, who said members of the LFA accepted it with heavy hearts. “I can understand their feelings as they were on the brink of a fully-fledged start of the new season.”
Although the suspension was justifiable, Khumalo said he sympathised with those members who were disappointed as the LFA was due to start the new season on 16 January and preparations for this had reached their peak.
“The suspension of amateur football at this stage is justifiable as we don’t have the necessary PPEs to keep our members safe during this seemingly deadlier second wave of the virus. Safa had no choice but to act to put the lives of all of us first and the game second,” Khumalo said.
He urged members of the LFA to comply with the directives of the mother body as ‘they are in the best interest of all of us’.
