By Amaechi Agbo

The continued impact of the ravaging coronavirus also referred to as COVID-19 on sports especially football has once again come to the fore as a club in Akwa Ibom state, South-South Nigeria, have terminated the contracts of its entire players over the ravaging effect of the pandemic. Bestchoicesports.com.ng reports.

The unnamed club cancelled the contracts of the players due to lack of football activities and paucity of money to take care of their salaries and allowances.

Akwa United Chairman, Mr Paul Bassey who disclosed this on Wednesday in a monitored Channel TV Sports programme, did not mention the name of the club.

According to him, “There is one club in my state (Akwa Ibom) that decided to cancel the contracts of all players because they cannot pay. You cannot just keep players two-three months, they are not playing, they are not doing anything and you have to pay them salaries.

“It (paying of salaries) can only happen in government owned clubs because for us, April salary has been paid, we are not owing the players. But how long can we continue to do that?” he asked.

It could be recalled that the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF on March 18 indefinitely suspended all football activities in the country following the emergence of COVID-19.

Clubs in the elite Nigeria Professional Football League and other leagues in the country are reported to have been hit hard with the pandemic and finding leeway to survive.

Yobe Desert recently slashed the salaries of their player by 75% while NPFL side, Dakkada FC have put their players on half salary since September 2019.