We should not just follow the scripts of European nations at every count, we should look at our own peculiar situation here in Nigeria.
I’d love to have a conversation on what LMC should do, and should propose to Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 regarding Nigeria Professional Football League 2020/21 Season kick-off.
Indeed, the harsh realities of life has pushed both government and people of Nigeria to dare the global ravaging virus, and open up the market place as the country's economy downs into another round of recession. Nigerians couldn't just remain lockdown with more fatal state of hunger and poverty killing people right there in their hidings at home. It became a matter of the devil and the deep blue sea.
Today, most of the open market in Nigeria are beehives of activities with thousands of people mingling together, buying and selling from morning into dead night every other day, with their nose mask glad to the jaw, to avoid self suffocation and self poisoning. And the infection curve has began to diminish lower and lower. What does that tell you from the common sense point of view.
The infection rate went higher and higher while the country where on lockdown, but as they dared the virus and came out of their shell, the infection rate began to diminish, Yet, there's no approved cure for the corona virus. Symptomatic patients took Malaria drugs, others hydro- Chloroquine and yet some went herbal mixture of Lemon, ginger, galic...and they all got well.
So most people wear mask, not because they believe it prevent the spread of anything for that matter, but just to obey government instructions and avoid harassment or arrest by the law enforcement agencies.
As Covid-19 infection rate curve continues to strip low amidst not too careful Nigerians in highly pandemic states of Lagos, Ogun, Abuja and Kano – one wonders how realistic is the NCDC/PTF's fear to lift ban on contact sports such as football.
A lot of football fans, against government prescription of social distancing👤✖️👤, gathered in their thousands in viewing centres to watch UEFA Champions League finals between Bayern Munich Vs PSG and the FA cup finals between Arsenal Vs Chelsea... at the end nothing happened, there wasn't any catastrophic spread recorded or attributed to such close social mingling. So there's no need to keep fans away from stadium or viewing centers.
There's really no need to kick-off NPFL 2020/21 season under closed doors. The league matches doesn't attract such mammoth crowd like we see in the premier League. NPFL record an average of 5000 spectators per match in an average of 18,000 capacity stadiums. So there will be enough space available to observe social distancing in most NPFL stadiums, if need be.
LMC have been trying all it could to bring more fans to NPFL matches, without much success. The implication of closing doors to the few fans who follow the elite League now, may render all their effort useless, at the end the league may loose majority of the fans to competition. And that's not good for business.
