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The Philippines Football League (PFL) floated the possibility of postponing its fifth season due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis in the country.
PFL commissioner Coco Torre revealed that they are contemplating whether to push through or reschedule the league in 2022, citing the unstable health situation that is giving the league a hard time finalizing its plans.
Torre said clubs are looking at playing on 15 October, but everything still depends on the quarantine status in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
The PFL is set to be held at the Philippine Football Federation National Training Center in Cavite and Biñan Football Stadium in Laguna.
“We’re looking at 15 October as the opening date. But if things don’t work out, then we might postpone the season entirely,” Torre said in a phone conversation.
“We don’t want to keep on extending it because it also adds up to our resources and expenses.”
The PFL was originally scheduled to start its games as early as 21 August, but the implementation of a stricter community quarantine in Metro Manila and other provinces forced the league to reschedule its opening on 25 September.
Torre said they are still managing their expectations as the Covid-19 trend shows no signs of slowing down, especially after registering a record-high 26,303 cases on Saturday for a total caseload of 2.24 million.
With that, the league chief said their utmost priority right now is to assure the safety of all players and staff amid the pandemic.
Eight clubs are expected to see action in the upcoming season, which will be held under semi-bubble set-up.
“Of course, we want to be realistic on this matter. But we are hoping that our present scenario will still improve,” Torre said.
“If not, then we’ll just ask for the fans and stakeholders’ understanding that we are going for the safer route for the players and the league.”
https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/09/15/pfl-mulls-postponement/
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