The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
The Confederation of African Football has set the tone for the return of football in Africa after issuing out guidelines for restarting the sport.
While football leagues across Europe are now completing their seasons, in Africa only Tanzania recently saw the resumption of the sport while South Africa has been given the green light to footballers to start training.
Concern has been on how the sport can make a comeback without endangering the safety of players, fans, coaches and other staff.
The 27-page document titled “CAF Guidelines to Resume Football in Africa” stresses the importance of safeguarding the health of all stakeholders involved in the game as the essential element guiding the reintroduction of soccer across the continent.
Caf acknowledges that with each country affected to varying degrees by the Covid-19 pandemic, it will up to the national association in consultation with respective Governments to decide on the restarts.
“Many considerations were factored into the putting together of the document by our team of experts notably the specificities of the continent. Together with strategies established by local authorities, it provides the member associations with adequate information to resume operations upon receiving the green light,” said Caf acting general secretary Abdelmounaim Bah.
The PSL tasked its medical committee to come up with protocols and procedures to be followed by clubs for the safe return of football activity after the Covid-19 lockdown.
The committee’s chairman, Edward Chagonda welcomed the Caf framework saying they had already prepared their own local guidelines that will apply to the local situation.
He indicated they will meet today with the Zifa competitions committee and the Premier Soccer League before realizing the document.
Caf guidelines focus on player resumption of training advising a phased approached while indicating the importance of medical assessments and fitness tests before leagues resume.
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