Football is back, you can go to stadia – Akufo-Addo announces
The ban on football activities has been lifted with the Ghana Premier League (GPL) set to resume on October 30, 2020.
Along with the top-flight, the second tier league will also resume on the same day but no dates have been scheduled for the restart of other leagues.
Ghana’s leagues were suspended in March after government instituted restriction measures to curtail the spread of the coronavirus detected in the country on March 12.
At the time, the GPL has reached its matchweek 15 stage.
Six months down the lane President Nana Akufo-Addo has lifted the ban in his 17nth address on measures taken to control the pathogen.
“Fellow Ghanaians, with respect to football, after due consultations with the Ghana Football Association, it has been decided that the Ghana Premier League and the Division One Football League will restart on Friday, 30th October, with a full regime of testing of the players, technical and management staff,” President Akufo-Addo announced on Sunday, September 20.
This is expected to enable the country’s national teams prepare adequately for upcoming international competitions.
Additionally, permission has been granted for the resumption of training in all contact sports.
A regular testing regime is to be instituted to ensure the health safety of all individuals involved.
Stadium capacity reduced to 25%
To maintain social distancing to contain the spread of the COVID-19 which is still lingering, “no spectators will be allowed at the training centres, and, when actual competition resumes, seating at all stadia will be limited to twenty-five percent (25%) capacity”.
“Wearing of masks by spectators at stadia will be mandatory,” President Akufo-Addo insisted.
The restart of all other sporting competitions will be determined on a case-by-case basis, pending consultations between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the respective sport associations.
The GPL restart follows the resumption of major leagues across the globe.
As at Friday, the total number of tests conducted was 470,730.
Football restart across the globe
So far, a total of 45,258 persons have recovered but 297 lives have been claimed by the infection.
The English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, the Spanish La Liga and the French League A are all back in action.
Strict regimes have been implemented to test players few hours before every march with spectators restricted from attending games in some cases.
New rules were introduced in the face of the pandemic by world football governing body Fifa.
The use of five substitutes have been approved by football’s lawmakers, the IFAB.
Additionally, a player could be sent off if “the referee is certain someone deliberately, and from close range, coughed into the face of an opponent or match official.”