BULAWAYO – Highlanders coach Pieter de Jongh has joined Zimbabwe and Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas is criticising the Premier Soccer League for arranging fixtures in the same week that the national team is in action.
It is the norm around the world that when the national team is in camp, the domestic league is suspended.
The Premier Soccer League has lined up a full fixtures programme for Wednesday and the weekend, using its own regulations which say matches will be postponed only for teams which have three or more players on national duty.
Zimbabwe play Botswana on Friday in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the National Sports Stadium.
“FIFA calendar says no fixtures in professional football leagues during qualifying matches for the national team. Only Zimbabwe league follows not the rules, the only football league in the world,” De Jongh tweeted on Tuesday.
Antipas has a particularly tougher juggling act, overseeing the national team as well as Chicken Inn who are within striking distance of the Premier League title.
Chicken Inn face Mushowani Stars at Trojan on Wednesday.
“It’s only fair that I have to give due attention to my team because that’s my bread and butter,” Antipas said on Tuesday.
“So, I will see how I will balance the scales. But this whole thing is a mess because this is a FIFA week. Everywhere in the world there are no local games being played.
“Mind you, the national team games take priority over the domestic programme. I think we had too many stoppages during the season and now it is the clubs that are paying heavily for that.”
Premier League bosses are desperate to get the season to end in early December, before a season-ending Castle Super Cup final between the Premier League champions and winners of the Chibuku Super Cup.
PSL spokesperson, Kudzai Bare, said only five local players were in the national team – Prince Dube (Highlanders), Ian Nekati (ZPC Kariba), Partson Jaure (Manica Diamonds) and goalkeepers Simba Chinani (Dynamos) and Talbert Shumba of Chapungu.
“I understand the Warriors’ match against Botswana is on Friday and then they play again next week in Zambia. So, the scheduling of our games do not directly interfere with the national team matches,” Bare said.
“What we usually do in such circumstances when the national team is playing, if a club has three or more players in the squad, their game is postponed. But if there is no team with more than three players, the domestic games will continue as scheduled.”
