Kenya requests postponement over Coronavirus fears

Wednesday Mar 11, 2020. 12:00

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has asked the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to postpone their upcoming 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches over Coronavirus fears.

Kenya, which at the time of writing has yet to record a confirmed Coronavirus case, has restricted movement in and out of the country in an effort to protect its citizens against the disease.

This could prove a major stumbling block for their back-to-back matches against Comoros which are slated to be held on March 25 in Nairobi and March 31 in Moroni.

The six points on offer could be absolutely crucial in determining whether the Harambee Stars qualify for next year’s AFCON.

“We cannot host the match at the moment because the government is restricting movement of players and visitors to the country. We are awaiting response from CAF,” FKF CEO Barry Otieno told Nairobi News.

Kenya already has certain players in camp preparing for the matches, but the government’s recent move to ban all conferences and meetings of more than 15 people of international nature for a month has forced them to write to CAF with their request.

The government has also banned flights from specific countries that are affected by the virus as a precautionary measure, which would mean Japan-based striker Michael Olunga is one example of a player made unavailable by the current crisis.

CAF last week sent a communique indicating it was monitoring the situation before issuing a directive.