COVID-19: Football return not viable says Colombia president

Colombian President Ivan Duque. [Photo: Courtesy]

Colombian President Ivan Duque has dismissed the idea of restarting the county’s soccer league behind closed doors, saying to do so would endanger the health of players and staff.

“Explain to me how one can guarantee a competition with more than 20 teams and not one player has the coronavirus?” Duque said in a radio interview with the La FM station.

“Explain to me how one guarantees that in addition to the players and the coaching team, that in addition to them the whole support staff, the physiotherapists, the kit men, the transportation staff, that none of them has the coronavirus. It’s very difficult.”

The South American nation declared a public health emergency on March 12 and suspended all public events, including the main soccer leagues for both men and women. Since then, Colombia has recorded almost 4000 cases of COVID-19 and 189 fatalities.