Moroccan Football Match Halted Mid-Game Over COVID-19 Protocol Breach

31 July 2020 – byPrince · 2 min read

For non-compliance with the health protocol, the local authorities suspended, after the first quarter of an hour of play, the Botola 2 match between Kénitra and the local Widad, on the pitch of the Témara stadium.

The screening of the entire staff as well as the players of Kénitra Athlétic Club (KAC) before the match against the Widad de Témara, in accordance with the health protocol imposed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), revealed the existence of two positive cases. But the club failed to remove from its lineup the contact persons with these two cases, reports Telquel.

For the president of the KAC, Noureddine El Haloui, "the club received the test results at noon while the match was scheduled for 5 p.m. Before 3 p.m., we sent a letter to the National Professional Football League (LNFP) to explain the situation, without response. We excluded the players in question, and we went to the stadium to play the match."

The possibility of a postponement had circulated before the kick-off of the match due to the positive cases detected at the KAC. But the match ended up being launched in the presence of the referees and security guards. The Widad de Témara was leading the score after 15 minutes of play, when the referee stopped the game, on the orders of the caid.

According to the LNFP, the match will be resumed where it was stopped, next Wednesday at the same time (5 p.m.), at the same score.