Football Association of Maldives (FAM) on Tuesday, revealed that it has sought a greenlight to resume practices for the national football team and was pending approval from the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
The national team practices were suspended on August 4, under the counsel of the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC), as a result of the island nation recording a significant rise in the number of COVID-19 cases per capita, indicating an alarming community spread in the country.
FAM has also formulated and submitted the safety guidelines requested by HPA to detail the would-be policy to conduct safety-oriented practices.
FAM's request to HPA, if approved, will authorize practice sessions for the national team, as well as T.C Sports Club and Maziya Sports Club, as the teams are scheduled to compete in the upcoming AFC Champions League.
HEOC Spokesperson and Health Protection Agency (HPA)'s Medical Officer Dr Nazla Rafeeq stated that practice sessions can resume only after assessing the spread of the virus.
She further stated that Maldives' health situation will dictate whether HPA would approve the scheduled group stage matches of the AFC Champions League, to be held at the Galolhu National Stadium in capital city Male' on October.
FAM's General Secretary Hussain Javaz expressed his hopes that players would resume their efforts to maintain top sports form within a week's time.
"Hosting the AFC Cup is the biggest objective we have undertaken at the moment. Truth is, if those matches are held, then the local football season can resume on December, as scheduled", said Javaz.
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