Plateau United coach Abdu Maikaba has advised the League Management Company (LMC) to postpone the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) or allow matches go ahead without spectators as a precaution to contain the spread of the deadly Covid-19 (Coronavirus), which has claimed over 7,000 lives globally.
With 8 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Nigeria, and following the postponement of the 20th National Sports Festival, Edo 2020 on Tuesday, Maikaba, whose Plateau United side lead the NPFL standings, called on the league organisers to consult the Health Ministry in order to find a solution for the spread of Coronavirus in the country.
“I think the LMC and NFF should liaise with the Federal Ministry of Health to find a lasting solution for this issue of Covid-19, for example, maybe they can play without spectators like they do in the Turkish league or they suspend it (the NPFL) for some time because the health issue is very, very important,” the former Akwa United coach told www.busybuddiesng.com exclusively.
“We can suspend (the NPFL) and, maybe, when the issue of Coronavirus subsides in the world and we observe that, maybe, European countries and many other countries that are affected by it have resumed their leagues, then we can also say ‘let’s go back and finish the league’,” advised Maikaba.
Since its discovery late last year, Covid-19 has affected over 200,000 people worldwide with more than 7,000 deaths in around 150 countries.
Major sporting events including the Euro 2020, Chinese GrandPrix, French Open, Copa America and 2022 World Cup Qualifiers have been postponed as a result of the spread of the deadly virus, which was first discovered in China.
