GFA outlines COVID-19 safety plan for return of football
Chairman of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Medical Committee, Dr. Adam Baba says his outfit has provided a blueprint document on how to bring football back in the country.
Among the things recommended in an over 30-page document include providing mandatory weekly tests for players and essential staff as well as playing matches behind closed doors.
Football in Ghana has been suspended since March, following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
“To cancel or continue will all depend on the dynamics of the pandemic. As the Medical Committee of the GFA, we were asked for a proposal on the best practices should the Government give the go-ahead to resume football activities and our advice was based on the records of the pandemic, the death and recovery rates and cases recorded.
“All that we are doing will hinge around the Ghana Health Service’s final approval, the go-ahead or could tell us to wait for a while’,” Dr. Baba told Oyerepa FM.
Before football returns, the GFA Medical Committee has laid down the following modalities:
Resumption should be gradual
– starting with the men’s Premier League then the others (Division One, Women’s League etc) follow when convinced all is well. This is because if we take too much, it can overwhelm us.
Mandatory tests for players, officials, coaches, referees and match commissioners
– The FA must arrange for them to be tested at various laboratories. They were identified as high and low-risk groups.
– The high-risk group comprised of referees, match commissioners and technical persons who have close contact with players.
A plan that could see all matches for the remainder of the season played in empty stadiums
– The only persons to be admitted will be the press to cover the games and most of the matches shown live on TV.
– Those that can’t be shown live should be shown immediately after the matches not to make supporters miss the game so much.
To observe social and physical distance as we enjoy the game of football
Last week, Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah confirmed that government has received a proposal from the Ghana Football Association to consider the resumption of their activities.
“The sports community in particular football and golf submitted proposals on potential easing approach which could still protect the population.
“The government is grateful to all these groups and the others who will be engaged in the coming days for their cooperation so far,” the Minister stated.
Aduana Stars topped the 2019/20 Ghana Premier League table after 15 matches when the championship was suspended.
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