The Presidential Task Force (PTF) set up by the Nigerian government on Covid-19 alongside the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development in the country have lifted the ban on contact sports.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the ban was lifted because of the reduction in the cases of Covid-19 across the country.
The Nigerian government had suspended all sporting activities in March due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic to curtail the spread of the virus.
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare via his Twitter handle stated that the news was a welcome development.
“We welcome the lifting of D ban on football by the PTF.
“The lifting of restriction on outdoor activities including football is in line with earlier consultations with Ministry of Youth and Sports and NCDC. However, this is limited to the actual sports itself & not mass gathering”. The minister twitted.
The ministry also stated that there are Covid-19 protocols that must be followed as well.
“The Ministry has done all that’s necessary and required, especially with regard to the COVID-19 protocols.
“The PTF, Health Ministry, and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have also guided appropriately,” the statement said.
Football activities are now expected to resume across Nigeria without the fans in the stadia.
Following this development, the League Management Company (LMC) is expected to announce the date for the start of the new league season.
On March 18, the LMC announced the suspension of the 2019/2020 league season caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
After much deliberations, the Points Per Game option was used in picking the country’s representatives for the CAF club competitions, while there was no promotion or relegation across all of the leagues.