Nigerian athletes were in ecstatic mood yesterday after the Federal Government lifted the ban on football and all other contact sports in the country with effect from Monday Oct. 19.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, in a briefing in Abuja yesterday, said the FG had decided to ease the restrictions on football and other contact sports in the country.
Aliyu said the decision was arrived at after consultation with the sports ministry and the National Centre for Disease Control. He however announced that the games would take place behind closed doors.
Aliyu stated that, it’s also time for sports to open, but to open safely and in this regard, they have continued with providing guidelines and engagement with states to ensure close supervision and oversight as sports reopen.
The lifting of restrictions on outdoor sporting activities including football is in line with earlier consultation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the National Centre for Disease Control. However, this is limited to the actual sports itself, not with mass gatherings.
