FAM working hand in hand with government on Coronavirus

By Duncan Mlanjira

As some countries are taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) by suspending mass gatherings till end of April, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) is keeping its ear to the ground and is awaiting a decision from Government.

FAM General Secretary Alfred Gunda said they are working hand in hand with the government through the Ministry of Sports and Ministry of Health and will use their guidance on the matter when a position is taken for the general populace.

“As you are aware, the Government has put in place measures of monitoring the spread of the virus and we are monitoring and will take guidance when such is made available,” Gunda said.

Reports on the ground suggest that the 2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN), which was initially scheduled to take place in Cameroon this April, is likely to be postponed to June as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.

According to kick442.com, the decision is expected to be made by Confederation of African Football (CAF), which is keen on following recommendations that world football governing body, FIFA, to its members requesting that all football events be suspended till April.

The temporary measures is being done across the world while hoping World Health Organization (WHO) and other institutions find a better ways of dealing with the new global pandemic.

There is a CAF team of medical doctors in Cameroon with the objective of studying the situation in the Central African nation for proper recommendations for the Confederation, as reported by kick442.com.

CAF already postponed the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2021 qualifier, for the Match Day 3 and 4 of the qualifiers scheduled for 25-31 March 2020.

The Flames were preparing to face Burkina Faso away in Ouagadougou on March 26 before hosting their opponents at Kamuzu Stadium four days later.

Other matches that were postponed until further notice were FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup qualifiers scheduled for March 20-22 and March 27-29 as well as the Women’s AFCON 2020 qualifiers scheduled for April 8-14 April.

Meanwhile, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has urged the football community to use the “power of the game” to reinforce key messages in relation to coronavirus.

The BBC quotes Infantino as saying: “We must now do everything in our power to protect fans, players, coaches, and everyone else involved in our beautiful game. 

“Most importantly, the football authorities must take all necessary measures to prevent the virus spreading to the wider community.

“In partnership with the WHO, we are launching awareness building initiatives designed to provide practical recommendations and steps to tackle the spread of Covid-19.”

Infantino praised the football community for the solidarity and unity it has shown so far but warned this must continue “when thinking about how we will address the consequences we will have to face for the future of our game, once this serious risk to human health is behind us”.

“Health first and sporting solidarity should be the key principles guiding decision-making at this important moment in time and I am sure that the whole football community will live up to the great values of our sport,” he said.

“Sport in general and football, in particular, can – and I believe will – play a big part in helping our world recover once we have, hopefully sooner rather than later, returned to normality.

“Challenging circumstances offer the opportunity for people to come together, show what they can do in a collective spirit, and emerge stronger and better prepared for the future. We know that this is one of those moments.”

“We know that this is one of those moments,” the FIFA president is quoted as saying.