With the Covid-19 continuing to spread, going back home for Cape Town City goalkeeper Peter Leeuwenburgh is not an option.
The Dutch international wants to stay in SA and he is currently training on his own, keeping fit by playing tennis.
Other players around the world have returned to their homes as the virus continues to spread, but the 26-year-old feels safer here and has no plans of returning to the Netherlands any time soon.
"I don't want to go home. I want to stay here and make sure that if we have to train and play again, I'm ready," Leeuwenburgh told Sowetan.
"It's also a risk if I fly back, I can't go back because of a potential travel ban here in South Africa."
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the Premier Soccer League to postpone matches until further notice. This also saw other teams, including City, cancel training sessions.
"I go for some hill sprints and I played tennis yesterday, because that's very safe with the distance in between," Leeuwenburgh continued.
Cape Town City keeper staying put in SA
With the Covid-19 continuing to spread, going back home for Cape Town City goalkeeper Peter Leeuwenburgh is not an option.
The Dutch international wants to stay in SA and he is currently training on his own, keeping fit by playing tennis.
Other players around the world have returned to their homes as the virus continues to spread, but the 26-year-old feels safer here and has no plans of returning to the Netherlands any time soon.
"I don't want to go home. I want to stay here and make sure that if we have to train and play again, I'm ready," Leeuwenburgh told Sowetan.
"It's also a risk if I fly back, I can't go back because of a potential travel ban here in South Africa."
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the Premier Soccer League to postpone matches until further notice. This also saw other teams, including City, cancel training sessions.
"I go for some hill sprints and I played tennis yesterday, because that's very safe with the distance in between," Leeuwenburgh continued.
"Besides that, I'm washing my hands when I come home and I use a hand sanitiser during the day.
"The most important thing is that we stay safe. We should only play behind closed doors if the situation allows us to do so. Here we have the luck that we are a little bit behind in terms of the virus compared to Europe, so we have to learn from their mistakes."
While it's not clear when the PSL will resume, Leeuwenburgh is of the view that they should not play until safety is guaranteed.
"As long as it is not guaranteed that everyone is safe from the virus, we should not play and should postpone the league until safety is guaranteed."
The keeper is also keeping a close eye on his family back home everyday. "No one is infected, they stay at home just like us here in South Africa. I check on them every day just to see how they are doing."