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Phiri: Sundowns will complain if Chiefs are crowned champions

Former South Africa international Alfred Phiri believes the Premier Soccer League (PSL) will soon consider cancelling the current top-flight season.

The Absa Premiership was suspended last month over the coronavirus breakdown, and with no return date set in stone, the former SuperSport United midfielder believes the season will be declared null and void if no solution is agreed upon soon.

“I think the season should continue because it will be unfair for teams not finishing the League, people will go to court, it will drag and drag so, if we can pass this test then everything will go back to normal then we should continue with the league games and everything," Phiri told iDiskiTV.

“If we can go to October, which means it is unfortunate for teams who are in the league title race, at the top, I think they [PSL] should just call it null and void, just cancel the whole season because they won’t finish the season on time.

“Because the 2020/21 season must start in October so which means the 2020/21 fixtures won’t be finished as we also have many cup competition games. If it goes to August, September, we need to cancel everything, that’s the unfortunate part of it."

As things stand, Kaizer Chiefs lead the standings by four points from Sundowns, who has played one game less.

The National First Division (NFD) was halted with Ajax Cape Town atop the log and seemingly set to return to top-flight football.

“But I am saying we need to take a decision if the decision is that there are no champions or if Kaizer Chiefs are going to be crowned champions or Ajax Cape Town are going to be promoted let it be," he continued.

“The decision that the PSL takes can be in favour of Chiefs, then [Mamelodi] Sundowns complains, every decision taken by the PSL will be questioned, there will be a ‘why’ and ‘what’ so that one decision that they will take we will stick with it, we will have to respect it."

PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza previously said they hope to have the season completed by the end of June, which would require teams to be back in action in the first half of May to be able to squeeze in all the matches.

Phiri has shed some light on how that could happen.

“They said they want everybody to finish all their games by 30 June, which means the PSL has to squeeze everything and luckily Sundowns is no more playing in Africa now, so now teams can play - Monday, Wednesday, Friday… so that we can push until June," he suggested.

“If they can start on the first or second week of May, I think the remaining games can be completed by the 29th. Everybody is well rested so they can play three times a week so that by 30 June everything is done."

- TEAMtalk media

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