Bogota/Xinhua/UNI: The Colombian government has ruled out the prospect of restarting the country's major football competitions in the near term, citing ongoing risks associated with the coronavirus pandemic.
Sports competitions at all levels have been suspended in Colombia since March 13 as part of strict lockdown measures imposed by President Ivan Duque.
In recent days, officials from the country's principal football league, Dimayor, have asked the government for permission to resume national competitions, warning that many clubs face financial ruin if the stoppage continues.
"It would be irresponsible to say that we can return to football, even behind closed doors, given that there is no way to guarantee that the players will be protected from the coronavirus," Duque told reporters on Tuesday.
"As much as Dimayor believes that it's possible, I have to prioritize the health of the players," he added.
Earlier, sports minister Ernesto Luceno said football was unlikely to restart until July or August, in a best case scenario.
Colombia has 4,149 confirmed coronavirus cases, of which 196 have been fatal, according to the latest health ministry figures.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
