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FOOTBALL CAN DRIVE VACCINATION PROGRAMME

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My dearest readers ...

COVID-19 is a lonely disease that is so emotionally-draining, it feels like you had pulled an all-nighter in the company of uncle Johnnie Walker. You can barely walk two metres as all the joints in the body become sore; you lose your taste buds and even the sense of smell. I am talking from experience. When I was diagnosed with the deadly virus, I feared the worst. But thank God I survived. It was nothing but God’s grace. As we continue to lose our relatives, friends and colleagues, I can’t be grateful enough to the man above for sparing my life so that I could continue with this calling of changing our sports for the better – one Tuesday at a time. The other night, in ungodly hours, as I dozed off waiting to watch God’s gift to football, Lionel Messi lead the La Albeceleste against the pretender to the G.O.A.T throne Neymar Junior’s Brazil, I was astounded when the match was called off sensationally after six minutes. Health officials stormed the pitch to remove the Tottenham Hotspurs duo of Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez for breaking COVID-19 quarantine rules and falsifying documents to enter Brazil illegally.

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Lo Cleso, Romero, Martinez and his Aston Villa teammate, Emiliano Buendia, travelled to South America despite the Premier League orders not to travel for internationals in red-list countries. This, in many ways, reflects just how serious some countries are on the issues of COVID-19 adherence and regulations in general. That’s why Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Harries ‘Madze’ Bulunga’s incident on Saturday at Msunduza, where he witnessed some layabouts flouting COVID-19 regulations, should be treated with the seriousness it deserves. It is not the minister’s fault but the question remains, what is he doing about it? Therein lies the rub.

The COVID-19 pandemic and sports suspension conundrum is a serious issue as sports is an industry on its own. While fans are literally starved of watching their favourite teams, COVID-19 is still with us and it is real. We have some sporting codes which have been grounded since March 2020. Football is one of the low-risks sports which have been allowed to continue being active without the fans. But as the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) financial statements delivered to the Board of Governors on Saturday reflected, the organisation’s income declined by E197 681 in the past financial year July 2020, to June 2021. The country’s football is bleeding. It needs to be saved from taking a lonely road to the cemetery.

vaccination

His Majesty King Mswati III’s government has availed a window of opportunity through the vaccination programme. We have watched in envy football returning with packed stadiums in English premiership and other top leagues in the world. The fans have been vaccinated. Life is returning to normalcy. Why can’t government let football lead the way with the vaccination programme which is currently moving at a snail’s pace? According to the statistics released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) three days ago, only 7.4 per cent of the population is vaccinated, which translates to 85 115 people. These numbers are very low. We have already lost 1 145 souls. Yes the COVID-19 infection numbers are decreasing with 192 new infections reported on average daily, but we are not out of the woods yet. Imagine if we intensified the vaccination programme? This is where I believe football can play its role as the most popular sport in driving the vaccination programme. I am aware the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) and the PLE have put together a document to be presented to government on how they will ensure adherence to COVID-19 regulations before the new season begins, but they can use the vaccination programme as part of the return strategy in particular the return of soccer fans into the stadium even if it’s limited numbers.

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If we got as many fans vaccinated, then we could have bums on seat. This column, the State-of-the-Nation-Sports-Address (SONSA), even suggested an introduction of season tickets which could be accompanied by the vaccination card for any fan who wants to get into the stadium.  For starters, the numbers could be limited to just 50 per cent capacity. As PLE Chairman Mark Carmichael highlighted to Yours Truly recently in an interview for the Independence Day supplement, football being the number one sport has and can still play a big role in this pandemic. “We have continuously tested at least 1 500 of our members with players, officials and observed high standards of COVID-19 compliance during our matches. We have offered the nation entertainment during strict lockdown through live-streaming. We can also assist drive the vaccination initiative as vaccinated fans will be permitted into stadiums as a condition/reward,” Carmichael opined.

I wholeheartedly agree with the PLE chairman that this is possible if we have the political will from government, especially the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, if they are willing to back this idea up. A majority of our youths are unemployed and as we all know an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. It is not surprising many are involved in lighting up the political unrest – literally and figuratively speaking. Sports can also play a part in keeping our youth active and safe. That’s why government can ill-afford to let the sporting industry die just like that. Sport, as the late world statesman Nelson Mandela rightly observed: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand,” If ever we needed football to play a crucial role in sensitising the nation and driving the vaccination programme, this is the right time to do it before the new season kicks off. Can I get an Amen? ...

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