The local federation has stated they will not be forced to cancel the league because of the Covid-19 pandemic
The Zanzibar Football Federation (ZFF) has revealed they will not cancel the Isles Premier league (ISL) owing to the coronavirus.
The top-flight was put on hold in mid-March when the government suspended all sporting activities due to Covid-19.
However, the federation President Seif Kombo has insisted there is no plan to cancel the league and assured of its return when the situation returns to normal.
The ZFF boss made the declaration during the press conference after he was asked whether the Premier League would be cancelled like in other countries or not.
“We will not cancel the league but will make sure that all the remaining matches are played to the end,” Kombo told reporters.
“We don’t have any reason to make us cancel the league and I am confident Covid-19 will be contained. We just have to be patient and make sure we follow the instruction from our health experts and all will be well soon.”
Kombo confirmed ZFF held a meeting to discuss a letter sent to the body by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) seeking to know the fate of the league after a five-week hiatus.
He said ZFF was also inspired by President John Magufuli’s statement that urged stakeholders to resume the Mainland Premier League soon.
“His statement was very inspiring and now we are making strategies on how to resume our league, hence no intention at all to cancel it,” Kombo continued.
He said they have to rely on government directives when it finds the environment safe for the league’s restart.
“We are waiting for the government’s directives to restart our league after being confirmed that the Covid-19 danger is wiped out,” Kombo concluded.
The chairman of Zanzibar Premier League board, Issa Kidali said the presidential directives are vital in deciding the fate of the league, hence they are also waiting for the government’s say.
The statement by Magufuli has also been welcomed by Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) who have already started working out how to resume their league soon.
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