LOCAL Premiership clubs have come out in full support of the extended two-week national lockdown extension by the authorities on Sunday.

The country’s Big Three clubs — Dynamos, CAPS United and Highlanders — have welcomed the development.

Bosso chief executive, Nhlanhla Dube, said football could only be played in a healthy community.

“The extension of the national lockdown was inevitable given the spiralling numbers of new infections from the novel coronavirus,” said Dube.

“As a football club, we are fully supportive of the stance, which is a noble one.

‘‘We can do nothing without a healthy staff. We cannot play football when there is a threat of the spread of this disease within the community.

‘‘We have to be calm as a team and support the efforts by the authorities to try and contain the spread of the epidemic.”

Bosso have since launched a crowd-funding initiative to help in the fight against the disease which has claimed over 165 000 worldwide.

Dynamos chief executive, Jonathan Mashingaidze, said his team have since activated channels to ensure continued compliance among their members, especially players.

“This is not something to be taken for granted. We are fully behind the extension.

Football is a beautiful game but it ceases to be beautiful if it was to be played amid this pandemic,’’ he said.

‘‘This is a good decision taken by the authorities. If we were to to train, where would we be training without putting ourselves and members of the public at risk?
“It was going to be difficult.
“We need healthy players to be able to play football.

These are not normal times in which we are in.
‘‘We have to support the extension and pray that this will be over soon.”

CAPS United vice-president, Nhamo Tutisani, said nothing was more important than health.

“It is all about staying healthy and, for that matter, we can only applaud the move made by the authorities,’’ he said.

‘‘This is a delicate time we find ourselves in.

‘‘In as much as we would want to be playing football, we also have to acknowledge that football is played by healthy staff, and administered by equally healthy personnel.

‘’It won’t make any sense to risk our lives just for the sake of playing football.

It’s a good step taken.’’
Other clubs have also come in full support of the extension.

Black Rhinos secretary-general Edward Mutukwa, Herentals coach Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva, Yadah mentor, Genesis Mangombe, and Nesbert Saruchera, the coach of newly-promoted Cranborne Bullets, have all been speaking with one voice in support of the extension.-State media