Football is back, so are viewing centres and concerns over COVID-19 spread in Abuja, Nasarawa

With the return of the football season in Europe, viewing centres in Nasarawa and Abuja are operating without observing COVID-19 protocols, as Daily Trust observed.

With the new football league season kicking off in Europe, with matches being played behind closed doors over fears of COVID-19 spread, most football viewing centres in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and nearby Nasarawa State are not complying to the pandemic protocols, Daily Trust investigations reveal.

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Football enthusiasts at various centres flout the use of facemasks and social distancing while most of the operators do not provide water, soap, and hand sanitizers.

Football fans usually cramp into poorly ventilated shacks, screaming and cheering on their teams as the match progress onscreen, releasing respiratory droplets and increasing risks of coronavirus infections.

Many of these fans are complacent about health protocols or simply do not believe in the existence of COVID-19 in the country, as Daily Trust found out during visits to some of these centres.

At a makeshift viewing centre in the Ungwan Soja part of Masaka, in Nasarawa State, our reporters observed over 100 viewers crammed into a space about the size of a classroom. They did not use facemasks or observe social distancing.

Those who couldn’t find a seat in the wooden shack, hung around the door to catch the action from the two 43-inch TV sets, effectively limiting ventilation.

Suleiman Musa was one of the viewers. Speaking after a Premier League match, he said, “As you would have seen, the excitement of having to visit the sports centre again is what we are after. We missed football.”

When asked about the preventive measures, he said: “It is God that protects people. Are you even sure coronavirus still exists?”

Mr Jerry Bulus, who claimed to be the operator, said, on resumption, he had placed sanitizers at the entrance of the centre and allowed about 30 people to enter the hall. He, however, said that he could not control the crowd of viewers when big matches are on.

“They pay N50 each to watch a match and there are people who would sit at a stretch to watch three or more matches. What I try to do is to provide sanitizers for them but I cannot control the number of people coming inside as long as they pay me,” he said.

At New Nyanya and Mararraba towns of the state, the situation was the same. Champions Football Centre in Kabayi-Mararaba operates in two shops that are merged. There was no compliance with any of the COVID-19 protocols, especially at night.

“The preventive measure is a personal thing. If you come to watch football, you have to be relaxed to enjoy the company of others but not to be thinking about coronavirus,” said Silas Bature, a viewer at another Premier League game.

Chinedu Okey, who supervises the centre, said no security agent has confronted them about crowds, and they feel people in Mararraba are safe from the virus.

“We don’t pray for bad things to happen, but we encourage people to sanitise their hands. For us, the crowd is good because we have been out of business for nearly three months before the Premier League and other football activities resumed,” he said.

Also, open-air bars have turned viewing centres to attract customers. At Lokogoma, Abuja, several such bars exist with total disregard for safety measures as residents take beers while watching football matches. One of the patrons, Austin Ikenna, said though he could watch the match at his home, he preferred going to the bars to enjoy the company of other football lovers.

“With or without the pandemic, I will always come to watch football. I have missed the fun that comes with it. We are at risk in other places too. If you do not come to viewing centres, what about the markets, churches and other places that people disregard government directives?” he said.

Our reporter observed several viewers at a centre in Kado Estate, Abuja, during a matchday that saw three English Premier League matches involving top clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal playing.

The bar was filled with customers while passers-by stood outside to cheer, argue and participate in the fanfare. There were no facemasks, social distancing, sanitisers or any health protocol against COVID-19.

Austine Ochayi at the bar said thinking of the protocols kills the joy of the moment.

“For me, I stood from afar and watched the match at the bar. That is my own way of observing the COVID-19 preventive rules,” said Bala Garkuwa.

Daily Trust reports that even off-duty security operatives join the crowd to watch matches at these viewing centres without batting an eyelid about the flouting of COVID-19 protocols.

According to a sports analyst, John Kingsley in Abuja, crowds often overflow football viewing centres when big clubs play. At such times, the centres’ operators will always throw caution to the wind to make more money.

He said that at other times, when unpopular clubs play, with fewer crowds, the centres then enforce social distancing and other rules.

An operator in Jikwoyi, Chuks Chukwu, said the price of cable TV is too high, hence people resort to viewing centres. He said from June 1, 2020, additional VAT was introduced on the tariffs for DSTV and other satellite TV networks, including GoTV.

He said the epileptic power supply makes it difficult for people who can afford cable TV to enjoy matches at home.

“So, people prefer to come out, pay a little amount and watch the games,” he said.

On the COVID-19 guidelines, he said: “We have water and hand sanitizers at the entrance and instruct all our customers to wear face masks.”

Another operator who does not want his name mentioned said his centre has a wash hand bucket and notices for hand washing, but admitted facing difficulty in enforcing the guidelines.

A football fan, Samuel Otamaru said he usually watches games at viewing centres because of lack of electricity while Ishaya said it was difficult for him to watch games indoors because of the general analysis he enjoyed at viewing centres.

In Apo, Abuja, football viewing centres, bars and lounges are open, contravening the COVID-19 protocols. The Apo Resettlement Park, one of the largest concentration of football viewing centres has been opened for football lovers. There are also viewing centres in Waru, Wumba, Dutse and other communities within the district opened to fans with disregard to established COVID-19 safety protocols.

While some of them believed they had observed measures put in place to check the spread others believe the threat never existed to warrant the disruption of football leagues globally and the lockdown of countries.

Daily Trust also observed that owners of such football viewing centres do not provide handwashing facilities, temperature checking devices or even hand sanitisers at the entrances as mandated for commercial places.

Dr Ejike Orji, Chairman, Medical Sub-Committee, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19 said flouting measures encourages the transmission of the disease. He said it is important for viewing centres and Nigerians to adhere to the safety measures.

He also called for sensitization programmes to enlighten the public about the implications of violating safety guidelines instituted to protect them from the disease.

Dr Chikwe Iheakweazu, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), advised Nigerians to continue adhering to public health and social measures in place.

“Please wash your hands frequently with soap and water, wear a face mask when outdoors and in public settings, avoid contact with sick people, maintain a distance of at least 2 metres between yourself and the next person,” he said.