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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter

THE Premier Soccer League championship is unlikely to start on October 30, as scheduled, amid indications the top-flight league could actually get underway early next year.

The league’s leaders are juggling with the complex issue of how they can restart their championship, while the Division One league remain inactive.

All the lower leagues are still waiting for the greenlight, from the Sports Commission, for them to get underway.

Four Division One teams, one from each region, are promoted yearly into the main league.

Those relegated from the PSL are also accommodated, in Division One.

Teams from Division Two are also promoted into Division One with some also being relegated, into those lower leagues.

The ZIFA Northern Region, Eastern Region, Southern Region and Central Region, as well as their provincial Division Two leagues and the area zones, NAPH, NASH and tertiary leagues, are yet to get the clearance, to begin training.

Government has only approved the resumption of the men’s and women’s top-flight leagues.

The PSL got the nod early last month, to start training, and staging matches.

They have since been running their Chibuku Super Cup matches.

The PSL, in their programme released last month, were hoping to schedule the quarter-finals matches this weekend, and start the league championship, next weekend.

It is highly likely the semi-finals will be played during the first weekend of November.

Group One matches, which is based in Harare, is only going to be wrapped up this weekend.

Other groups have already filled their quarter-final slots.

The PSL leaders had set their sights on starting the championship race next weekend.

They wanted to have a few matches running, until a break for the festive period, which will run into January and February, to give way to the AFCON finals.

The league action was then expected to resume later in February, after the clubs had used the transfer window, to bolster their squads.

However, there is a huge possibility the championship will not get underway next weekend.

“The issue of the lower leagues is causing a lot of concern and it could affect the timing of the start of the league,” sources said.

“As long as the lower leagues are not yet playing, it’s difficult to start the PSL championship because relegation, and promotion, is part of the whole thing.”

After going for two years without league football, all the stakeholders are itching for the championship to restart.

The clubs, who have bowed out of the Chibuku Super Cup, have already said they have switched their attention to the start of the championship.

The top-flight league also don’t want players, who have already warmed up, to go on another lengthy break, without action.

The lower leagues have met the ZIFA deadline, to submit the list of their players and venues, for onward transmission, to the Sports Commission.

The SRC have indicated they will respond within 14 days, once they receive the information, which was submitted to ZIFA, yesterday.

The lower leagues have made it clear that once they get the Government’s approval, they will resume their leagues.

It has been 22 months, since that Super Sunday, when a second half strike by FC Platinum’s Perfect Chikwende, at the National Sports Stadium against CAPS United, sealed a third title, on the trot, for the Zvishavane side.

A lot has since changed then.

Chikwende now plays for Tanzanian outfit Simba Stars while the winning coach, Lizwe Sweswe, is no longer with the Zvishavane side. League action has not been played since then.

The 2019 relegated teams TelOne, Mushowani and Chapungu haven’t kicked a ball since.