Editorial Comment: At long last CAF smells the coffee

IT had become increasingly clear that the Confederation of African Football was playing Russian Roulette with the lives of the continent’s finest footballers.

Driven the urge to make money and have  2021 AFCON qualifiers proceed this month despite the high risks posed by the coronavirus outbreak, our continental football leaders were behaving as though they lived on Mars.

It was clear that the stakes were too high to proceed with the tournament given the increasing reports of individuals testing positive for the virus in many African countries.

But, for some strange reasons, CAF leaders — themselves not known for wise decision-making — had been peddling this narrative that the matches could go ahead.

They kept claiming that the World Health Organisation (WHO) hadn’t raised the red flag to a level where playing such matches across the continent could put the health of millions of people at risk.

The irony that the CAF statement confirming that the qualifiers would proceed as scheduled at the end of this month came on the very day WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, appeared lost on those entrusted with leading the game on this continent.

Even as every country scrambled resources and expertise to minimise the risk of having this virus either slip through their borders or, when it does, try and contain it, CAF leaders appeared to be living in a different world.

They reminded us of Formula One leaders who took their bandwagon to Melbourne, Australia, this week for what was supposed to be the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

World champion driver Lewis Hamilton, the sport’s high-profile athlete, provided the sound of reason when he questioned how the leaders expected the race to go ahead in such trying times for the world.

“I am very, very surprised we are here,” he said, according to Motorsport.com.

“I think it’s great that we can have races, but for me it’s shocking that we’re all sitting in this room.

“There are so many fans here already today. It seems like the rest of the world is reacting, probably a bit late, but already this morning we have seen (US President Donald) Trump shutting down the borders from Europe to the United States.

“The NBA is being suspended and F1 continues to go on. I saw Jackie Stewart this morning, looking fit and healthy and well, and some people as I walked into the paddock, some elderly individuals. So it’s a concern for the people here. It’s definitely concerning for me.”

“Cash is king, but honestly I don’t know. I can’t really add much,” he said.

And, after the British driver received widespread support around the world, especially after rival team McLaren was forced out of the race when some of its officials were quarantined because of the virus, the Formula One leaders were forced to cancel the race.

Sport is about integrity where the winner needs to have the satisfaction that the victory did not come because he or she had an advantage over the opponent.

It’s about creating a level playing field where every team or athlete has a fair chance to win and when, as was the case with the Australian Grand Prix, one of the main challengers are forced out because of a global health scare, it ceases to be competition.

That is the challenge which confronted CAF because many of the national teams were not going to have the privilege of fielding some of their best players, especially those based in Europe, because of concerns over this coronavirus outbreak.

Gambia, for instance, has seven players in Italy and can’t draft them into its team because of the lockdown in that country and it’s unfair to expect them to send a weakened team to battle.

Burundi had said it wouldn’t call any of its Europe-based players and many of the players are unlikely to leave their bases. But for some strange reason, CAF still expected Zimbabwe to travel to Algeria.

The same country which yesterday reported its first coronavirus death, and a spike in cases and whose President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, too the drastic measure of closing all schools to try and combat the spread of the virus, was the one that the CAF leaders feel should still host the match between the Desert Foxes and the Warriors.

That even the Algerians, themselves, had said they didn’t believe the environment  was conducive for that match to go ahead, as scheduled, at the end of this month, didn’t seem to concern CAF leaders.

“President Tebboune has given us instructions to ban all rallies, including football matches,’’ the Algerian Sports Ministry wrote in a letter to CAF.

“CAF, therefore, has no choice, but to accept this directive because the preservation of health is more important than any other considerations.’’

Admittedly, sport plays a crucial role in boosting morale especially in times of turmoil, but when it threatens the health of a nation, and a continent, there is absolutely no reason for it to go ahead.

That is why, because of the crisis triggered by this coronavirus outbreak, it was  important for CAF to put lives ahead of football.

Just as well, CAF finally came to their senses yesterday and postponed all qualifiers set for this month.

We salute them for finally seeing the light.

A football match can be played at any other time, a life lost can’t be replaced and that is why we believe that CAF were just being selfish by not seeing what everyone else was seeing — that this is not the time for international football matches, in particular, and sport in general, to go ahead as if we are living in normal times.

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