CAF approve US $10.8 million COVID-19 pandemic support fund; GFA expected to get US $200,000

At its meeting on Thursday (28 May 2020) via video-conference, the CAF Emergency Committee has approved the immediate distribution of financial relief fund for its members in light of the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic worldwide which has affected football activities.

A total of USD 10.8 Million will be transferred to the 54 MA’s on the continent as part of a relief plan to ease the financial burden on the African football community during these unprecedented times as various countries continue to gind solutions to the problems created by the novel disease.

“Due to the fast-spread of COVID-19, African MA’s have suspended all domestic competitions, which has brought about huge financial burdens on their shoulders. CAF has thus decided to wave the eligibility requirements to access the annual grants, so all MA’s can benefit during this difficult period,” said CAF President Ahmad Ahmad.

Also, CAF is assessing the opportunity of additional financial support to MA’s for the resumption and organisation of their domestic competitions.

Two weeks ago, CAF announced the distribution of USD 3.5 Million to the participants of the Interclub competitions for the 2019/20 season. The two club competitions, Total CAF Champions League and Total CAF Confederation Cup, were suspended after the quarter-final matches due to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, CAF is monitoring the situation closely and working with the relevant authorities including the Wealth Health Organization (WHO), FIFA amongst others on the impact of the virus on the continent, and will announce developments to our competitions at the appropriate time.

The amount is expected to help the Ghana football Association which is a member of the Caf. The GFA has already written to the governor of Ghana for financial support for the clubs.

However, no positive results have come out of it.

SOURCE: Cafonline.com