BPL schedule continues amid COVID-19 disruptions

Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Saturday December 18, 2021 06:00

The situation raised fears among some quarters that the authorities maybe forced to suspend football action. However, the Botswana Football League (BFL) chief executive officer, Solomon Ramochotlhwane said despite the hiccup, they have been able to deal with the situation. He said they are not surprised by the current situation because the country is presently recording a rising number of cases.

He said it is normal that footballers will also be affected since they meet with other people in public. He also said the good thing is that all their players and officials have been fully vaccinated, which has made it easier for them to recover in a few days. At least four Premier League matches have so far been postponed on top of other Debswana First Division games. He said the CAF guidelines are clear that under the current circumstances, the local competitions may continue in line with the government regulations. “In our case, we follow the ministry’s protocols, which include testing, isolating those who are positive and doing contact-tracing,” he said. Ramochotlhwane also mentioned on top of the normal testing, they also do random tests, which is why they have managed to detect some positive cases.

He said some Premier League sides, which include Prisons XI and Police XI are expected to resume action a few days after recovery and clearance of their players who had tested positive. “We continue to encourage the stakeholders to take care of themselves and follow all the protocols laid out,” he said. He added that his office will continue to work with the relevant authorities both at the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Botswana Football Association medical committee on how best to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.