The finish date for the 2019/20 season is a potential snag for Bidvest Wits, a club that has since been sold to businessman Masala Mulaudzi.
It was on Monday that Premier Soccer League chairman Irvin Khoza announced the resumption of the campaign that was halted four months ago by the Coronavirus pandemic as he set August 8 for the official return and the “second week of September” as when it will all be concluded following a resolution taken by the board of governors.
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With Wits having begun the process to retrench 29 staff, the Siya crew has seen the letter to employees informing them the club will cease to exist on August 31 – and this arrangement leaves the club vulnerable.
Unless there is pro-rata agreement in place for the additional days in September allowing staff, which includes coach Gavin Hunt and his technical team, to be able to conclude the season with all hands on deck, then it’s likely that an unprecedented situation could play itself out.
Approached for clarity, Wits chairman Alan Fainman argued that the August 31 date was simply a “projection” as the letters were drafted before Khoza’s announcement.
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“The new owners will take over from next season,” he told the Siya crew.
“I am glad that the league is able to resume, but that date had come from the PSL because there was a deadline from FIFA to try and finish the league by then. The staff will continue to work until the last day of the season.”
But this, insiders have suggested, would need another potentially exhaustive consultative process in the coming days.
Story by @superjourno
Hunt was given boost with these five players given short term deals last month