Egypt has been taking a host of preventive measures in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Last week the government reduced the number of hours sports clubs and youth centers could open, then closed them all together. Initially, the closures were from 7pm to 6am. Usually, Egyptian clubs and youth centres open from 6am to 12pm daily. But with the pandemic increasing this week, Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi addressed the public in a video, calling on youth centres and clubs to shut their doors and close for the welfare of all Egyptians. As a result, Egyptian clubs and youth centres including Ahly, Shooting Club, Shams and Heliopolis are to close until 31 March. Zamalek had already closed down a week before and extended their closure for a second week. In addition, gyms and training centres either public or private were shut down in addition to military and police clubs. Football matches were suspended for two weeks while club management asked players to train at home to stay fit and get ready for the resumption of the season. They were instructed to train by following their coaches training methods. Some foreign players returned to their countries. Foreign head coaches decided to remain in Egypt in case the domestic league or African Champions League and Confederation Cup matches resumed. Ahly and Zamalek are in the semi-finals of the Champions League whose schedule was delayed until May. Sobhi announced that the ministry had launched a number of games and activities for youth to get involved in while at home. “We have on the ministry's official website and Facebook educational sessions for the governorates in addition to models emulating the UN and People's Assembly and entrepreneurship activities. There will be a number of sports activities at home, in addition to a health club presented by physical education experts as well as cross fit and Zumba lessons. Also there will be electronic games supervised by the Egyptian Electronic Games Federation. We will also have some football competitions and an online league in cooperation with the Egyptian Football Federation while staying at home,” Sobhi said. Zamalek players are using the break to study their opponents Raja Casablanca whom they are scheduled to play against in the semi-finals of the African Champions League scheduled to take place in May, as well as Ahly players who are watching the other semi-final challenger, Moroccan club Wydad. A number of football players have started campaigns to donate to families who are in danger of losing their jobs because of the coronavirus. “People's lives are more important than football as Egypt is trying to contain the coronavirus outbreak,” Zamalek's left wing star Mahmoud Shikabala was quoted as saying. Ahmad Ahmad, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), broadcast a video message to African associations, saying the last couple of days have been “a sad one for African football and the world at large” due to the evolving nature of the coronavirus across the globe, which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). “There has been a lockdown in some of our member associations and in some cases a shutdown,” Ahmad said. ”Despite being a football organisation, one of our objectives is to partake in the fight against scourges posing a threat to the continent and humanity, and it is in this regard that we have taken major decisions to control and contain the spread of the COVID-19. As a result, we have suspended competitions including the qualifiers for the Total Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 and the Total African Nations Championship, which was due for Cameroon from 4-25 April 2020. Also, the 42nd CAF Ordinary General Assembly also set for 24 April 2020 in Yaounde has also been postponed indefinitely. “Football is the passion of the continent, but the health of the players, officials, partners and fans matter most at this point. I expressed my sincerest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and speedy recovery to affected persons. In light of the spread, personnel working at the CAF headquarters have been directed to work from home effective 19 March 2020 to the end of March.” Ahmad added: “We are monitoring the situation closely and remain in constant touch with global partners such as WHO, FIFA and state agencies on the way forward. Also, my applauds goes to the several African football legends and personalities who have embarked on a #safehands campaign on various social media platforms to control the spread of the deadly virus.” Ahmad concluded his message by saying “let us stay together during these difficult times to fight the cancer and restore our societies to normal state.” *A version of this article appears in print in the 26 March, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
