Goal
Thursday March 19, 2020
The country becomes the fourth nation in the Cecafa region to take drastic measures after confirming their first case of coronavirus early in the week.
The Somalia Minister of Youth and Sports Khadija Mohamed Diriye has announced an indefinite suspension of soccer activities following one confirmation of coronavirus on Monday.
Diriye stated the move is to prevent members of the public from picking up the viral disease as the government further banned travellers, for 14 days from countries with high risk, from entering Somalia.
“This killer virus is causing a lot of problems in the world and it is our responsibility to take care of our people,” reads a statement by the minister on Somalia Football Federation's (SFF) official website.
“Social distancing is vital in the fight against the spread of the disease and in my capacity as the Minister for Youth and Sport of the Federal Republic of Somalia, I announce that all sporting competitions in the country will be stopped from Thursday, March 19.”
“The move is one of several emergency measures by the Federal Government of Somalia which are meant to protect the lives of Somali nationals from the killer disease that has so far engulfed the lives of a large number of people across the world.”
Thorugh its president Abdiqani Said Arab, SFF stated it gives first priority to the safety and well-being of football fans and thus the matches will not be conducted until further update. The federation went short of giving a tentative date when football activities may resume.
“The last football match was played on Wednesday and until further notice, no football competitions will be played in the country,” Arab said.
The last match witnessed in the Somalia First Division competition pitted Jazeera against visitors Midnimo where the latter won by a 2-1 scoreline.
Horseed were to host Raadsan whereas Mogadishu City were to welcome Elman on March 19 and 20 respectively but the matches stand cancelled following the government order.
The move by Somalia follows similar directives taken by Kenya, who have reported seven coronavirus cases so far, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda as the region grapples to tackle Covid-19.
The Somalia Minister of Youth and Sports Khadija Mohamed Diriye has announced an indefinite suspension of soccer activities following one confirmation of coronavirus on Monday.
Diriye stated the move is to prevent members of the public from picking up the viral disease as the government further banned travellers, for 14 days from countries with high risk, from entering Somalia.
“This killer virus is causing a lot of problems in the world and it is our responsibility to take care of our people,” reads a statement by the minister on Somalia Football Federation's (SFF) official website.