NWFL calls off week 5 games for COVID-19 test

The Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) has postponed by one week the NWFL Premiership matchday 5 fixtures on Wednesday, January 13 due to the inability of the 14 clubs to meet up with the league body directives on COVID-19 test for players and team officials.

The postponement which will now see NWFL Premiership matchday 5 fixtures come up on Wednesday, January 20 is to allow the league body to accommodate collation and validation of the Covid-19 test being conducted by the Premiership clubs.

NWFL chairperson, Aisha Falode said the league body does not want to take chances as it concerns the COVID-19 protocols being put in place by the authorities on sporting activities.

“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.

“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,” said Falode.

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.

The NWFL Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Faith Ben-Anuge, noted from Abuja, that the postponed Week 5 matches will now be played on Wednesday, January 20, 2021.