Afcon postponed
NEXT year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon has been postponed until 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Confederation of African Football announced yesterday in a video conference.
Caf president Ahmad Ahmad said African football’s governing body took the decision as “health was the main priority”.
African countries have suffered to varying degrees from the pandemic with South Africa the hardest hit among those south of the Sahara, recording more than 144 000 cases, while Egypt has suffered the worst in North Africa with over 66 000 infections.
“The peak of the pandemic has not been reached yet,” Ahmad added.
The Cup of Nations was set to be played in January and February 2021, reverting back to its traditional winter slot after experimenting with a summer tournament in Egypt last year. The Caf Champions League will complete its matches in September while the Confederation Cup will wrap up towards the end of this year with a ‘Final Four’ expected to take place in Morocco.
These last two competitions were interrupted in March ahead of the semifinals phase.
Another tournament that has also been pushed back is the African Nations Championship for domesticbased players. It will kick off in Cameroon in January 2021.
Other Caf special events including its star-studded awards ceremony, featuring the likes of Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, have also been cancelled.
Caf members who attended the meeting did not discuss regional qualification matches for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Ahmad said the current decisions are subject to change with the fluidity
Cricket) agree that in the best interest of players, match officials, volunteers, as well as our fans, this is the most practical and sensible decision,” he said.
The matches were scheduled for August 9, 12 and 15, although only the final fixture had a confirmed venue, in Townsville.
Aside from the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Zimbabwe has not played an ODI series in Australia since the 2003/04 season.
Zimbabwe’s home limited overs series against Ireland in April was also postponed.
Australia last toured Zimbabwe in 2018, where it played a T20 tri-series.
In April, CA postponed its twoTest tour of Bangladesh, scheduled to begin on June 11.
Acting Zimbabwe Cricket boss Givemore Makoni said postponing the tour was “the only option”.
“We were excited about facing Australia, but given the circumstances, deferring the tour was the only option,” Makoni said.
“We are, however, looking forward to the rescheduling of the series as soon as practically possible.”
The next series on the Australia men’s team calendar is a three-match T20 series against West Indies, set to begin on October 4 in Townsville as a warm-up for the T20 World Cup.
However, Australian coach Justin Langer said earlier this month he hoped a limited overs tour of England could be arranged for September.
West Indies are currently in England preparing to play a threeTest series that is set to begin on July 8, behind closed doors at Southampton’s Rose Bowl, before playing back-toback Tests at Old Trafford. — ABC. net.au of the virus contagion.
He also announced the cancellation of the Women’s Cup of Nations which was scheduled to take place in November while revealing the launch of a new club competition for 2021.
“I am expressing my pride in seeing the birth of a women’s Champions League on the African continent,” the Caf president, who faced allegations of sexual misconduct last year, said.
The embattled president, who was also questioned last year by French authorities in Paris over corruption allegations, added that new board elections are tentatively scheduled for March 2021 in Mauritania.
His chequered tenure of the scandal-prone body saw the departure of Moroccan general secretary Mouad Hajji in March.
Last week, Fifa pledged $1.5 billion in grants and loans as a relief fund to help national and continental federations in stemming the economic
Some players may see no reason to continue practicing drills sent by coaches since they can’t implement them in a game situation.
That coaches also can’t monitor their progress could play a big factor in players slowly letting go of the game.
The unfortunate situation of not knowing when they’ll be allowed to play, is one of the biggest frustrations for any athlete, more so those that do it just to fulfil their passion for the game, like basketballers.
Three months is a long time for just drills and holding group discussions on WhatsApp groups without playing the game and players may feel that it’s better to try something more rewarding during the lockdown than to train daily and keep on hoping.
Psychologists have warned that fear and anxiety about Covid-19 could be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in some athletes.
They say this unusual free time, inactivity and lack of socialisation creates a sudden emptiness in athletes and these downturn caused by the pandemic.
Caf announced the allocation of an additional $16.2 million to assist national associations in mitigating Covid-19’s financial challenges.
Other regional football competitions slated to be played this summer have also been delayed such as the European Championship and Copa America.
A number of top European leagues have returned to action over the past month and a half, with matches played in empty stadiums and under strict health protocols. — AFP disappointments and uncertainties can cause anxiety, psychological distress and depression if they are not offered adequate support during the lockdown.
This lack of physical activity could induce a feeling of powerlessness and unusual behaviours such as insomnia, irritability, passivity or even eating disorders.
Because of the long lockdown period, most athletes have lost the physical condition they were in before the lockdown and this loss of previously acquired gain can force some players to quit the game they love in frustration.
Some players may even reflect on the bad experiences that soured them during the course of last season and convince themselves that it’s not worth the scars after such a long break since they simply took up the sport due to their passion.
So it’s not surprising that Weale is concerned that some basketball players may be losing interest in the game they genuinely love. It may not be their choice, but just that their passion has been extinguished by a whole combination of factors brought about by the prolonged lockdown.