NWFL Postpones Week-5 Fixtures Over COVID-19 Test

By Adedapo Adesanya

The management of the Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) on Monday announced the postponement of Week-5 fixtures, citing the inability of all 14 clubs to meet the COVID-19 test requirements for players and team officials.

The NWFL Media Officer, Mr Dapo Sotiminu, on Monday said that the Secretariat had given effect to the NWFL directives.

“The board of the Nigeria Women Football League headed by Ms Aisha Falode has declared the postponement of Week 5 matches in order to accommodate collation and validation of the COVID-19 test being conducted by the Premiership clubs,” Mr Sotiminu said.

In the statement, the NWFL Chairperson said that the NWFL did not want to take risks with any of the clubs as regards the appropriate test.

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, the football governing body had to take the decision.

“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,” she said.

The NWFL management added that the postponement of the league by one week was 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 to complete their job on the ongoing COVID-19 test on clubs concerned.

“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, January 15.

“Any club found wanting at the end of the exercise will be suspended from the league indefinitely.

“NWFL may have to take over the testing of all the clubs to avoid any of the clubs bringing the league to disrepute,” she said.

The board said that the postponed Week 5 matches would now be played on Wednesday January 20.