COVID-19 feature : actions led by sports organisations

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the NGO Speak Up Africa have teamed up to deliver the “Stay Safe Africa” awareness-raising campaign aimed at protecting 1 billion Africans from COVID-19. The goal is to reach as many Africans as possible, no matter their origins, nationalities or spoken languages, through the power of football.

For its part, CAF will pass on its message through a series of actions on social media and by involving football legends, clubs and influential voices in the campaign. In March, CAF had to cancel all African matches and competitions until further notice.

Through this campaign, which is also aimed at contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 3 on good health and well-being, CAF and Speak Up Africa hope to raise awareness of the most appropriate disease prevention measures, which they believe to be an essential step in countering misinformation.

In addition to this awareness-raising campaign, CAF has also decided to bring forward the payment of the last instalment of bonuses for clubs participating in CAF interclub competitions for the 2019–20 season.

Find out more at staysafeafrica.org.

In response to the emergency facing the entire football community, FIFA has drawn up a far-reaching financial relief plan for its member associations. As part of this plan, approximately $150 million will be distributed among the 211 national football associations affiliated to FIFA.

This immediate financial support will be used to mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19 on football, namely by meeting any financial or operational obligations that federations may have towards their staff and third parties.

It should be noted that FIFA grants annual entitlements to cover the operational costs of member associations provided that they have fulfilled specific criteria. However, in view of the circumstances, FIFA has decided to release these funds to help safeguard football across all member associations.

As part of this measure, all remaining allocations will be released in full for the years 2019 and 2020. In particular, the second instalment of operational costs for 2020, which was originally due in July, will be paid immediately. In practical terms, this means that FIFA will release $500,000 to each member association as well as any remaining entitlement for 2019 and 2020. 

Find out more at : www.fifa.com

In addition to existing support programmes, and in light of the current COVID-19 health crisis, the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) has decided to increase the financial resources available to African athletes for their preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games (postponed to 2021).

ANOCA President Mustapha Berraf said that the provision of an additional budget of $1 million should offer some peace of mind to athletes who are affected by the cancellation of competitions due to COVID-19.

In addition to this support, the psychological aspect must be taken into account so as to protect athletes’ mental health and fitness levels. Berraf called on Athletes’ Commissions to “propose activities to the NOCs’ Executive Committees to address athletes’ needs in particular”.

Through its SEED Gives programme, the SEED Project is committed to supporting disadvantaged families affected by the health crisis. The COVID19 Relief Package campaign aims to help over 500 low-income households across the country during a lockdown that has significantly reduced economic activity. The target regions of the first phase are Thiès, Saint-Louis, Pire Gourèye, Tivaouane and Dakar. A team of 25 student-athletes has been mobilised to assist nearly 3,500 people in need in Senegal.

The donations comprise basic foodstuffs (rice, sugar, oil, pasta, chicken, etc.) and hygiene products (soap and hand sanitiser gel). Awareness-raising sessions have also been held with local leaders to remind people of the importance of respecting the preventive measures.

The campaign has been funded entirely by donations from former SEED Project student-athletes and Senegalese businesses.

Source : seedproject.org

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and FIFA have decided to join forces to launch a call for projects specifically aimed at financing “Sport and Health” themed initiatives in Africa.

The two institutions are co-funding a call for “Sport and Health” projects, which is managed by the Sport en Commun (Sport in Common) platform and the Sport & Development programme run by the association La Guilde Européenne du Raid (European Guild).

Sport is an important tool for the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 3 on good health and well-being. The aim is to provide support and financing for projects that use sport to prevent and cure physical and psychological illnesses in Africa.