Africa 5s five-a-side soccer competition falls victim to the outbreak of Covid-19
JOBURG -– The Africa5s tournament is postponed to a date yet to be decided.
The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed another sporting event in the form of the 2020 Africa 5s which is a 5-a-side soccer competition.
The entry dates for the competition started on 15 February to 31 March but now this has been extended to 31 July.
“The Africa 5s games and activities have all been postponed with immediate effect and a new date will be announced in due course,” said Castle Lager brand director, Kudzi Mathabire.
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She added that the postponement came in the wake of the outbreak of the coronavirus which the World Health Organisation had declared a global pandemic and various measures have since been implemented by governments on the African continent to curb the spread of the disease.
The games were due to be held regionally first, leading up to a continental final, in Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Cameroon, Senegal and Ivory Coast. Last year saw a major step-up with the addition of three more countries in Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda.
Mathabire said they were well aware of the fact that their decision was bound to disappoint the football community. “But in the spirit of encouraging social distancing and playing our part in curbing the virus, we have to make this difficult yet necessary decision on the basis that football is a highly social sport that is enjoyed in large groups.”
Entries for participants across all countries will effectively be extended to 31 July 2020 and will only be through website entries on www.Africa5s.com
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