JOHANNESBURG – A group of African football legends have come together to create a message of awareness through a video in the fight against the spread of Covid-19.
The 98-second video shows the players in their respective locations emphasising the importance of washing the hands and avoiding handshakes, critical to the battle against the coronavirus, which has brought the entire world to a halt.
Representing various generations, and led by Confederation of African Football (Caf) Deputy general secretary, Anthony Baffoe, they include Roger Milla, Joseph Antoine Bell (both Cameroon), Herita Ilunga, Tresor Lomana Lualua (both DR Congo), El Hadji Diouf , Alassane N’Dour, Khalilou Fadiga, Diomansy Kamara (all Senegal), Mustafa El Haddaoui (Morocco), Jean Ssenide (Uganda), Wael Gomaa (Egypt), Fatau Dauda (Ghana) and Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria).
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/SafeHandsChallenge?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SafeHandsChallenge& #NoHandshakeChallenge! 🧼🙅♂
Stay safe, protect yourself & your loved ones from the #COVID19🦠 pic.twitter.com/L76ctq4YtS
— CAF (@CAF_Online)
As a result of Covid-19, Caf has suspended all competitions until further notice and remain in constant contact with the World Health Organisation and Fifa.
A number of Ghanaian international footballers including Kasim Adams Nuhu, Tariqe Fosu and Nicholas Opoku having been posting videos on social media preaching personal hygiene in the fight to curb the spread of coronavirus.
One of the more prominent voices in African football, Ivory Coast’s Didier Droga has also spread his message of hygiene in the fight against the virus.
The 42-year-old who had two stints with English Premier League side Chelsea from 2004 to 2012 and from 2014 to 2016, urged the people of Ivory Coast to help stem the radical spread of the coronavirus.
“To my Ivorian brothers and sisters,” Drogba said in a video posted on Twitter, “I ask you to take the subject very seriously because we tend to be too light in the face of the situation.
“It is imperative to respect the measures imposed by the government. We are the ones spreading the virus, we are all responsible for the situation.
“Wash your hands regularly, go out only when necessary, and keep a distance of at least one metre from each other.”