All professional football activities in Nigeria has been postponed until April 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Nigeria Football Federation [NFF] announced the decision following an executive order from its president Amaju Pinnick on Wednesday.
It comes after the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country reached eight, with five tested positive on Wednesday.
An NFF statement on Wednesday said all matches under their control would be suspended in the next four weeks.
These include the Nigeria Professional Football League, Nigeria Women’s Football Leagues, the Nigeria National League and Nigeria Nationwide League and regional divisions.
The development is coming a few hours after the Nigeria top-flight Week 25 fixtures were played across 10 centres on Wednesday.
“The Nigeria Football Federation has announced the cessation of all forms of football activities in the country for the next four weeks, as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic,” NFF spokesman Ademola Olajire said in a statement.
“According to the country’s supreme football-governing body, the shutdown affects all on-field activities the various national teams, the Nigeria Professional Football League, the other Leagues, youth football programmes and even street football.
“President of the NFF, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick said the cessation will be for four weeks after which the situation will be reviewed in line with events and trends worldwide.
“He also advised all members of the football family to observe the various safety precautions and conduct as advised by the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, such as hand-washing, the use of sanitizers and social distancing.”
