Caf maintains schedules despite coronavirus outbreak
Confederation of African Football (Caf) has insisted on maintaining schedules of its competitions despite the coronavirus outbreak. In a statement released on Wednesday, the continental football governing body said it was closely monitoring the evolution of the coronavirus (Covid-19) around the world and, in particular, the African continent.
“Caf has been informed of the restrictive measures taken by authorities of some member associations to find solutions on a case-by-case basis, with the option of organizing matches behind closed doors,” reads the statement.
This means that the Flames will still travel to Ouagadougou to face Burkina Faso in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this month end.
Reports indicate that Burkina Faso has registered two coronavirus cases. Football Association of Malawi (Fam) General Secretary, Alfred Gunda, said they are liaising with the Ministry of Health on issues to do with football teams travelling in and out of the country.
“The ministry cleared the Flames to travel to Zambia for [Thursday’s] international friendly and we will seek the same when travelling to Burkina Faso later this month. “We are also monitoring the situation in countries where some of our players are based to ensure they are safe to travel for the Burkina Faso match,” Gunda said.
Ministry of Health spokesperson, Joshua Malango, said the government was taking all necessary measures on the matter. “We are developing materials as the disease is rapidly evolving. Our hope is that Fam is conversant with relevant information on coronavirus. There are no travel restrictions between Malawi and other affected countries but travellers are advised to suspend travelling unless the need outweighs the risk,” Malango said.
The Flames are expected to depart for Burkina Faso on March 22 and return on March 28.
Caf has since announced that it would send a medical committee to visit Cameroon from March 14-15 ahead of the African Nations Championship which is scheduled for April 4-25.
Coronavirus broke out in China and has led to the suspension of some games and competitions in Asia, Europe and America. The situation has also resulted into some games being played behind closed doors as countries fight to slow down the spread of coronavirus.
