A Lagos based football coach, Lawal Abiodun has expressed his frustration with the continued closure of sports centres nationwide as a result of COVID-19 which rendered thousands of sport stakeholders handicapped in the last four months.
Abiodun reacted following the inter-state ban government lifted and ordered the resumption of Primary six, JSS class and final year students of secondary schools nationwide on Monday.
Abiodun, who is in charge of Utility Sports FC of Surulere said the continued closure of sports centres and facilities should be reviewed for the interest of sport stakeholders and urged football authorities to come out with their safety protocols and guidelines to prepare them for resumption.
“Sports activities cannot be locked down forever and at this juncture, stakeholders are beginning to lose their patience on the continued closure of sports facilities and centres in Nigeria. If the government can lift a ban in some sectors, I see no reason why sports activities should not be given the same treatment. We believe it is COVID-19 but let the government roll out safety protocols and guidelines for sport as well so that we can follow it and prepare us for resumption.presently there is no hope for sports activities for now and the sport stakeholders are keeping quiet on this matter. I think the Sports ministry, Nigeria Football Federation NFF and other relevant sports agencies should come out with their sport code so that the Presidential Task Force for COVID -19 would look into it and tell us the possible resumption for sports activities in Nigeria.
“In the last four-month, many of our youths have become something else.some players cannot even play football again because they have made up their minds and doing another thing. If the government continue to shut the sports activities, our youth would continue to go into social vices for survival which at the end of the day the people in helms of affairs would have themselves to blame,” he said.
Abiodun said he has been at home doing nothing in the last four months and urged the government to quickly look into the sports sector for possible resumption.
“Things are moving faster in the western world and some African countries but we also can fashion out a way how sports activities can return gradually instead of continued staying indoor, and lamenting,” he concluded.
