After almost seven months of inactivity caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the ban on football and other contact sports in Nigeria has finally been lifted.
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 chaired by Boss Mustapha in conjunction with Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development lifted the ban imposed on contact Sports Thursday.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the lifting of the ban is sequel to the reduction in the cases of COVID-19 across the federation,
Sports and Youth Development Minister, Sunday Dare , who saw the lifting of ban on contact sports by the PTF as a welcome development, made this known through his official Twitter handle
“We welcome the lifting of D ban on football by the PTF.
“The lifting of restriction on outdoor activities including football is in line with earlier consultations with Ministry of Youth and Sports and NCDC. However, this is limited to the actual sports itself & not mass gathering”. The minister twitted.
We welcome the lifting of D ban on football by the PTF. “The lifting of restriction on outdoor activities including football is in line with earlier consultations with Ministry of Youth and Sports and NCDC.However, this is limited to the actual sports itself & not mass gathering”
— Sunday Dare (@SundayDareSD) October 15, 2020
Before Thursday’s pronouncement, many had been agitated with the prolonged ban on football and other contacts sports.
They wondered why almost all the other sectors had been given the green light to resume and political rallies even being held but football and other contact sports left hanging.