The COVID-19 Pandemic has had a great effect on majority of the sectors pf the economy. Football has not been spared from the wrath and the post COVID-19 times are even more worrying for many.
With several football related activities across the globe put to a halt or even cancelled, this has left many pondering on how they will survive in the near future. It is upon this background that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has come out to offer financial stimulus to its member associations.
In a meeting held on Thursday via video-conference, CAF Emergency Committee has agreed to offer financial support to 54 Member Associations to the tune of 10.8 million dollars.
The aforementioned grant will be aimed at supporting the management of football at the domestic levels to the 54 Federations/Associations.
“At its meeting on Thursday (28 May 2020) via video-conference, the CAF Emergency Committee has approved the immediate distribution of financial grants to Member Associations (MA) to support the management of football at the domestic levels hugely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Reads part of the statement from CAF.
“A total of USD 10.8 Million will be transferred to the 54 MA’s on the continent as part of a relief plan to ease the financial burden on the African football community during these unprecedented times.”
“Due to the fast-spread of COVID-19, African MA’s have suspended all domestic competitions, which has brought about huge financial burdens on their shoulders. CAF has thus decided to wave the eligibility requirements to access the annual grants, so all MA’s can benefit during this difficult period,” said CAF President Ahmad Ahmad as quoted by CAF.
A fortnight ago, the African football body confirmed the distribution of USD 3.5 Million to the participants of the Interclub competitions for the 2019/20 season. (CAF Confederation Cup and CAF Champions League).
The competitions were halted at the quarterfinal stage due to the impact of the COVID-19.