Rethink virus enforced football suspension, players are suffering
A screen grab of Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed releasing the resumption of sports protocols via Zoom on September 18, 2020. With her is Sports Principal Secretary Joe Okudo.
What you need to know:
- Our footballers have suffered so much Madam Amina, they need to be back in action to eke a living.
Last week, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed released resumption to sports activities guidelines.
The CS announced that all outdoor recreational non-contact sporting activities, private fitness clubs and other sporting clubs will reopen immediately.
However, on the flipside, she stated that contact sports like football, rugby, karate and swimming will remain suspended as non-contact sports re-open in a phased manner.
I would like to believe our very able CS made these announcement after thorough consultation with not only experts from the Health ministry but also those from the Sports ministry.
I say this because sports, just like other sectors of the economy has been hard hit by the lockdowns occasioned by the fears of spread of the Covid-19 virus.
Sportsmen and women depend on sports to eke a living, but the shutdown has meant no income for most of them.
Granted, there is hope after she announced the guidelines, but I am left wondering why is football still suspended?
Yes, football is a contact sport and attracts large crowds which can be a recipe for the spread of the coronavirus, but I tend to think the CS should have borrowed a leaf from other countries in Africa like South Africa and Egypt where football activities resumed, albeit, behind closed doors.
Most of the measures the government has taken since the emergence of the coronavirus have been guided by what other countries globally have been doing.
In Europe for instance, football (and other contact sporting activities) is back in action, but with strict guidelines, why can’t we practice the same in Kenya.
I say so because in a few weeks, my beloved Gor Mahia will be expected to take the pitch to represent the country in the Africa Champions League. Now, the team has not even trained since the lockdown seven months ago, what kind of results should we expect?
I, therefore, beseech the CS to reconsider the move to maintain the suspension of football activities but place some strict guidelines like barring fans and enforcing compliance measures just like it is happening in other countries.
Our footballers have suffered so much Madam Amina, they need to be back in action to eke a living.
