The Custodian Newspaper Online
No Result
View All Result
Saturday, July 12, 2025
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Showbiz
  • Health
  • Sport
  • World
  • eStore
The Custodian Newspaper Online
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Showbiz
  • Health
  • Sport
  • World
  • eStore
No Result
View All Result
The Custodian Newspaper Online
No Result
View All Result
Home Sport

African Football ‘Must Wait’ – CAF President

by John Kekeli
May 13, 2020
in Sport
0
African Football ‘Must Wait’ – CAF President

CAF President Ahmad Ahmad

152
SHARES
1.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

While some European leagues are set to resume, CAF President Ahmad Ahmad told DW he wants the outbreak under control first before competitions return.

Much like their counterparts around the world, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) officially suspended play in March.

The situation on the continent is complicated and differs wildly from the realities in Europe.

Africa has already experienced epidemics such as Ebola outbreak in March 2014, the deadliest episode of the disease since its first detection in 1976.

During the outbreak, the CAF chose not to suspend football.

Games in the countries where the epidemic broke out were relocated to avoid the regional threat.

Past outbreaks mean Africa is not experiencing the coronavirus pandemic like other continents.

As of May 11, Africa had recorded just over 64,500 cases of COVID-19 and around 2,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University– numbers that pale in comparison to the contamination rate in Europe.

Despite alarming predictions about the potential impacts of the health crisis, the question of whether African football can recover has been raised.

No resumption imminent

In an interview with DW, CAF president Ahmad Ahmad highlighted the difference in context, pointing out that it is not easy to draw conclusions when so few tests have been carried out.

“As we see the ratio of tests that have been carried out in these countries, it is always alarming because we lack visibility in the management of this pandemic,” he said.

As a result, CAF remains cautious. Ahmad has been clear on the future of a probable resumption of football.

For him, there is something more important for the people of Africa right now.

“There is a lack of visibility. We must wait. As president, I invite everyone to be very careful and wait for the situation to normalize. But beyond that, I do not want football to be a source of destabilization for the precautionary measures taken by the various governments to deal with the pandemic,” he said.

Most African governments are actively encouraging hand washing and social distancing, but are up against a unique set of challenges. “The whole world is facing a very important health crisis, and every country on the continent of Africa has its own way of dealing with it.”

“We have taken to stop football activities altogether. Our priority is first and foremost health, protecting players, protecting officials, and protecting the public.”

CAF lending a helping hand

Ahmad confirmed to DW that the continent’s competitions would not resume while the COVID-19 situation in Africa is not under control. Leagues and tournaments had until May 5 to tell the governing body how they would proceed.

The decisions were unsurprisingly diverse. Most countries have canceled their championships without winners, relegation, or promotion. Mauritania has postponed its championship until September 2020.

Tanzania is planning to resume behind closed doors, while Burundi will restart on June 1.

For clubs that find themselves in difficulty, CAF is searching for solutions and ways of providing support in conjunction with the authorities of each country, according to Ahmad.

The confederation, meanwhile, has supplied financial aid to clubs in continental competitions by “releasing their prize money very quickly, without waiting until the end of the season.”

Financial impact for African football

As for the short-term financial repercussions, African clubs are often owned by patrons who invest their personal funds and therefore do not have the same obligations as their European counterparts.

While the crisis will take a toll on a national level, in general, clubs will not necessarily need to restart their leagues to save themselves financially as there’s not as much liquidity in the sport.

Continental club competitions, such as the African Champions League and the Confederations Cup, do not generate as much money as those in Europe.

TV rights deals for the competitions remain relatively low, and most clubs only make profit if they reach the semi-finals.

The qualifying bonus for the group stages of the African Champions League between 2017 and 2020 was $550,000 (€507,705).

Meanwhile, the winner, most recently in 2019 Tunisia’s Esperance Sportive de Tunis, pocketed a sum of $2.5 million.

That’s just under half a million less than European teams collect for a group stage win in the UEFA Champions League. Meanwhile, ES Tunis’ counterparts Liverpool reportedly pocketed a combined €74.35 million during their title-winning run in 2019.

Solidarity against COVID-19

Ahmad also highlighted the spontaneous solidarity shown by the African football family.

Former footballers such as Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba, as well as current stars such as Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, have significantly contributed financially to the fight against the pandemic on the continent and have participated in several awareness campaigns on preventative measures like hands washing and the use of masks.

Until a way out of the COVID-19 crisis is found, football will not be the priority of the African continent.

For Ahmad, “the priority is health. If this crisis persists, it is like any phenomenon of human life. We cannot send our young people to the slaughterhouse.”

Post Views: 598
  • Latest
  • Trending
Agenda 111

92% of Agenda 111 hospitals completed — ISSER report

July 11, 2025
Ewurabena Aubynn Ablekuma

Ewurabena Aubynn wins Ablekuma North after rerun

July 11, 2025
IMF ECG privatisation

IMF supports privatisation of ECG

July 11, 2025
Sam George Bawumia

Ablekuma North: Shut up — Sam George hits back at Bawumia

July 11, 2025
Newspapers Tuesday 24th June 2025

Newspaper Frontpages – Tuesday, 24th June, 2025

June 24, 2025
Newspaper Frontpages (Tuesday, 17th June, 2025)

Newspaper Frontpages (Tuesday, 17th June, 2025)

June 17, 2025
Newspaper Frontpages (Monday, 16th June, 2025)

Newspaper Frontpages (Monday, 16th June, 2025)

June 16, 2025
Newspaper Frontpages – Monday, 30th June, 2025

Newspaper Frontpages – Monday, 30th June, 2025

June 30, 2025

The CustodianGh Online’s vision is to become the most preferred go-to news brand in Ghana.

Contact Us

thecustodiangh@gmail.com

Popular Categories

  • News
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sport
  • Arts & Showbiz
  • Tech

Archives

© 2025 The CustodianGh Online - All rights reserved.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Showbiz
  • Health
  • Sport
  • eStore

© 2025 The CustodianGh Online - All rights reserved.