COVID-19: Argentina outlines protocols for football restart

Buenos Aires, July 15 (IANS) The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) has presented new sanitary protocols to the government as it seeks to end a four-month COVID-19 shutdown.

The document was published on the AFA’s official website on Tuesday along with a letter signed by the entity’s President Claudio Tapia to Health Minister Gines Gonzalez, reports Xinhua news agency.

“I am writing to inform you that the Argentinian Football Association created a medical commission to establish a protocol that allows our affiliated clubs to return to training when the conditions allow it and when the national government authorises it,” the missive said.

It added that the commission, led by AFA medical director Donato Villani, had consulted a diverse range of medical experts while drawing on experiences in other countries.

The AFA suspended its competitions on March 17 and canceled the rest of the 2019-20 season in April.

President Alberto Fernandez has said the government will only sanction the sport’s return when there is no risk to the health of those involved.

Argentina has over 103,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, more than 1,900 of which have been fatal, according to official figures.

–IANS

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