Coronavirus: Nigeria's U20 Women's World Cup qualifying camp suspended

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Moses Aduku's camping activities have been put on hold until further notice to avoid the spread of Covid-19

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has suspended indefinitely the camping activities of the country's U20 women's side to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The development is coming on the heels of the increasing spread of Covid-19 in the West African nation, with local health authorities confirming five fresh positive cases on Wednesday.

No fewer than 40 players entered the camp in Abuja on March 1 for Nigeria's showdown with Burkina Faso earlier scheduled for next week which had now been postponed by Caf last Friday.

In a notice to the team on Wednesday, the NFF alerted the players and officials that it was closing camp as part of their precautions against the pandemic and further urged them to stay safe at their base.

"We could not train today [Wednesday] because we were asked to leave the camp for the moment and go back home," a member of the team disclosed to Goal.

"The notice came from the NFF and we were told that it was taken for the safety of the players and officials while also avoiding the spread of the coronavirus."

Corroborating the team member's account, an NFF top official told Goal: "We've decamped the team due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"We would have loved to keep them in camp for a little more but their life and safety are more important at this point. We plan to recall them to camp when the situation is a bit better."

The Falconets claimed gold at the 2019 African Games in Morocco last August, thereby ending the country's 12-year wait for the title.

They will be hoping the deadly diseases go away as soon as they seek to qualify for the U20 Women's World Cup to be co-hosted by Costa Rica and Panama later this year.

2020-03-18 23:00:01

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