Geremi: "footballers are aware of the threat" of the Coronavirus

Text by: David Kalfa Follow

Geremi Njitap, former Real Madrid and Cameroon national team player, is the vice-president of the international professional football union, FIFPro. The Cameroonian is worried about the fate of players in Africa because of the Coronavirus pandemic. However, it welcomes the cessation of competitions on the continent. Interview.

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RFI: Geremi Njitap, are there national championships continuing in Africa?

Geremi Njitap: To my knowledge, all African competitions, all national championships in Africa, have been stopped. This pandemic is wreaking havoc. No state wants to expose its populations. The latest information indicates that 43 countries in Africa are affected by COVID-19. You really have to be careful.

Do you support this stopping of competitions?

I fully support the decisions taken by the International Football Federation (FIFA), the African Football Confederation (CAF), FIFPro, the World Health Organization and the States, to protect human lives, and in particular those of footballers. It was these measures that led to the cessation of competitions in Africa and around the world. Football is an activity that mobilizes large masses of people. So it was important to stop everything.

Footballers will no longer be paid for several weeks. Are you worried about their financial situation?

Your question recalls the salary conditions of footballers on the continent. Indeed, players are not always paid properly under normal circumstances. COVID-19 news has reinforced this situation. Stopping competitions is synonymous with stopping work for the players. We know that governments have not yet defined the measures necessary to support clubs and championship organizers. It is normal that I feel scared about the financial situation. But this pandemic does not only affect football and footballers. It affects all social, political and economic strata of the world.

Do footballers in Africa seem sufficiently aware of the risks linked to Coronavirus?

Before being professional footballers, they are citizens and heads of families. I do not think that being a footballer gives a feeling of invincibility in the face of such a devastating pandemic, which has already caused the death of thousands of people. So yes, footballers are aware of the threat. This is the reason why, at FIFPro, in the name of defending the players, we are invited to all the working groups responsible for reflecting on the impact this situation will have on the championships and other competitions of the 2019 season. 2020.

Has FIFPro Africa implemented awareness-raising actions concerning the Coronavirus?

At the level of Africa, we challenged our old glories, African legends, since they are models that can easily convey messages, sensitize both footballers and the rest of the African population. They can help to enforce the hygiene regulations established by health experts and by states. Many of these old glories responded and passed messages in all languages. Hopefully people will follow these tips.

Do you want to add something?

If you allow me, I would also like to take this opportunity to address the listeners of RFI. On the one hand, I would like to convey my support and compassion to all the families affected by this virus. I also wish to invite the populations to scrupulously respect the recommendations of the public authorities.

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