While some Egyptian sports federations have announced they would be resuming their activities, suspended by the coronavirus, by August, others have decided to cancel and start a new season altogether. And some don't know what to do. Football, the most popular sport in Egypt is scheduled, according to the government, to have its players start training on 25 June to build up for resuming the league on 25 July. Egypt's minister of youth and sports had announced last week that tournaments were to re-start by the beginning of August. All sports federations, apart from football, will have one month for training to start 1 July after which competitions are to be held as of 1 August. The government, however, has left it up to each sports federation to decide whether to resume its suspended competitions which started before the outbreak of the coronavirus, or scratch the entire season and start a new one. Football players are currently being tested for the virus. Ahly, Smouha, Masri and Ittihad Alexandria clubs have submitted tests carried out by the Ministry of Health this week. Ahly's samples have all come back negative. Some teams, who refuse to resume the competition, have refused to take the tests and announced that they would not be training. With 150 matches left to conclude the 2019-2020 football season, the new schedule is tight with no luxury of time for any more delays because of the remaining African club competitions scheduled to resume in September. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) needs a budget of LE81 million to LE90 million to resume its competition. The EFA continues holding daily meetings with clubs in order to reach a final decision on resuming the league and FA Cup. On Monday, the African Football Confederation (CAF) unveiled the details of a comprehensive plan to guide the member associations on the restart of football activities in the continent. A 27-page document titled “CAF Guidelines to Resume Football in Africa” emphasises the health of the major stakeholders (players, officials, fans and partners) as the essential element, which should constitute the basis of all decisions regarding the reintroduction of football activities across the continent supported by the authorisation of relevant state authorities. The plan also highlights the effective and continuous medical assessment (testing) of players and officials, guidelines for training sessions and disinfection of sporting facilities, as well as strict adherence to the global preventive protocols. “This comprehensive document is a major step towards resuming football on the continent. Based on recent developments, it is important we have a plan in place to guide our stakeholders on the return of continental and domestic competitions, and the need for an all hands on deck approach,” CAF Acting General Secretary Abdelmounaim Bah said. “Many considerations were factored into the putting together of the document by our team of experts notably the specificities of the continent. Together with strategies established by local authorities, it provides the member associations with adequate information to resume operations upon receiving the green light,” Bah said. Meanwhile, the Organising Committee for Interclubs Competitions & Management of Club Licensing, and the Organising Committee for Women's Football held meetings via video-conference last week on the future of the various competitions. The CAF Executive Committee, scheduled to meet on Tuesday 30 June 2020 via video-conference, will make pronouncements on the recommendations by the respective standing committees. In its plan, CAF was keen to explain that its recommendation was not to encourage member associations and their professional clubs to resume, at all costs, the course of their competitions, men and women, while continuing to fight, to varying degrees around the world and across our continent, one of the most devastating pandemics in history. “It is our responsibility to anticipate all eventualities and to consider the risk assessments and factors that must be in place for professional football to eventually be able to resume safely. This can only happen at a time when the health, social and economic benefits outweigh the risks associated with Covid-19, while maximising the safety of athletes, staff, supporters and society in general,” CAF said. “It is also the view of CAF, that football activities are secondary to the well-being of those who wish to participate. The health of footballers (mental and physical) across our continent and the world is essential and should constitute the ethics of all decision-making regarding the reintroduction of football activities. “It is a fact that the Covid-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has seriously challenged the health systems of all countries of the world. In the absence of preventive (vaccine) or curative (definitively established) treatment, confinement is an opportunity to save time and allow health authorities to build resources and systems to ideally “Test-Trace-Treat”, the famous triptych launched by Margaret Chan, director-general of the WHO. “This viral pandemic is difficult to follow because it varies according to the places, the ethnicity, the mode of evolution, the clinical and symptomatic manifestation and the mode of contagion, from air and tactile, to another mode as by organic waste. Given the disparities that exist between African countries regarding the evolution of Covid-19, each member association is responsible for decisions to stop, suspend or continue its national competitions.” According to CAF, the so-called National Recovery Plan will depend on the context of each member association. “It is clear that the federations must first ensure that the players' salary situation is favourable for any resumption of training and competition activities. Likewise, psychological assistance should be offered to teams and players who should enjoy decent living and working conditions. Concerning the programming of the matches (rhythm), it is desirable that the first two weeks be planned at the rate of one match every seven days. It is only afterwards that the rhythm of two matches every seven days can be introduced.” The plan also revealed the phases for resuming training and organisation of training and matches. Resumption of training from 12 days of total inactivity, over three phases. The first is to be dedicated to medical and athletic tests within three to four days. Phase two is when the players can resume training individually for seven days before training in small groups for a week. Moving to phase three would include the collective recovery. CAF sees that the resumption of training and matches will not be easy to manage, from the point of view of health security. “A great challenge awaits the African federations, their professional leagues and their clubs, often unaccustomed to scrupulously respecting standards and procedures of this type, especially since health security is not negotiable. Accordingly, CAF recommends clubs to designate or recruit within each federation and each professional club a person (coronavirus officer) in charge of coordinating all actions related to the pandemic. Ideally this should be a person who loves football, with good medical and technical knowledge, and who uses modern means of communication. “Unfortunately, basic standards and absolutely necessary procedures are beyond the reach of many clubs. Apart from a few very rare exceptions, which confirm the rule, the clubs of the African elite do not have really organised medical departments. The Covid-19 pandemic will demonstrate this if necessary. Standards may even ensue, even basic, within the reach of African clubs, if they are serious and motivated, which could become regulations that will have to be drafted and adopted legally. The players in the game must be protected and insured, and therefore reassured. The responsibilities of associations, leagues, clubs, must be recognised and assumed beforehand.” CAF also recommends that member associations and clubs need to think carefully in the content of training to offer relevant exercises despite the safety distances. “This will allow the players to touch up the ball, strike the goal and get a feeling for the ball again. And then, from a group of six players, integrate tactical elements, and work more on situations in details, something that can't be done with a larger group. In terms of defensive positioning, finishing, centres and placements in the area in particular, it is to be introduced last and gradually,” CAF said. CAF stressed some major recommendations for the return of football: -Gather all the teams in a city (in one place) and this until the end of the championship. -Each team must be made up of 23 players, 10 members of the technical and medical staff match officials. -The media and all those who work in the stadiums during the match will all have to take the test, including ball boys. -Mask ports for substitutes and supervisors on the sidelines. -No press conference except flash interviews for players. -Flash interviews to be conducted respecting the physical distancing of two metres and more. -Ban exchange of shirts. -Use of five replacements. -Drinking break 30 min and 75 min. -Discourage spitting on the field. -Make the means available to the federations to guarantee testing. *A version of this article appears in print in the 25 June, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
