BY ANDREW EKEJIUBA
In order to ensure players and officials comply and meet up with the COVID-19 test directives, the NWFL has postponed Matchday 5 games which were scheduled to be played on Wednesday, January 13 across various stadia in the country.
But it has now been postponed to Wednesday January 20, 2021 for teams who have not conducted the second round of test to do so according to NWFL chairperson, Mrs Aisha Falode.
Falode, who spoke from her base in Lagos, said; “The NWFL do not want to take risk with any of the clubs going by the fresh wave of increased Covid-19 infections due to the new variants of the deadly disease which have left more people dead in Nigeria than before.
“We are currently verifying and validating results sent in by some of the 14 clubs not up to half of the clubs in the league.
“We are also going to verify the authenticity of the test centres sent in by the clubs from the Federal Ministry of Health and the relevant state’s Ministry of Health, going by the reports that some clubs are going to unapproved centres to conduct the test.
“Tests from unapproved centres will be rejected after verification and the clubs involved suspended from the league.
“The postponement of the league by one week is due to the tasking process of collation and validation.
“Because of this, the board of the NWFL found it imperative to postpone the Week 5 matches to allow the Secretariat complete their job on the ongoing Covid-19 test on clubs concerned.”
She further stressed that: “The board has given enough time to the clubs to complete the test and send results with proof (pictures) from government approved test centres, to the Secretariat by mail and hard copies (original) on or before Friday 15th January 2021.”
Falode, who is also a board member of the Nigeria Football Federation, declared that any club found wanting at the end of the exercise will be suspended from the league indefinitely.
“And the NWFL may have to take over the testing of all the clubs to avoid any of the clubs putting the league into disrepute.”
Meanwhile, the proposed COVID-19 for players and officials of Delta Queens scheduled for Tuesday 12 will no longer due to break down of machine.
Delta Queens players and officials in line with directives from the NWFL had wanted to carry out the test on Tuesday.
Club Secretary, Ihedioha Martha revealed that the development followed a late notice from the team’s medical doctor who got an update from the General Hospital, Asaba, that due to a breakdown of their test Machine, the scheduled exercise can no longer hold on Tuesday January 12.
Martha who decried the development is however optimistic the test will be carried out as soon as possible so as to meet up with demand from the NWFL for teams to submit their Covid -19 test of players and officials on or before Friday January 15, 2021 or face an indefinite suspension from the NWFL.
She however confirmed that the General Hospital, Asaba has informed the club that the machines have been put inorder and the test will now be done on Wednesday January 13.
Delta Queens will host league leaders Bayelsa Queens Fc, at the Agbor Township Stadium, Agbor.
