Many fans still harbouring hopes that football will resume soon so that the 2019/2020 season could end may have had their hopes dashed after the president of world football governing body suggested that the sports could be put on hold longer than expected.
Infantino warned that the survival of the beautiful game is under threat from the deadly killer-virus, hinting that the game may not return before the end of the year.
Football has been terribly hit since the coronavirus emigrated from Wuhan, China, where it was first discovered late last year.
The infection has since affected over a million people globally, with nearly 60,000 deaths confirmed.
It has forced the suspension of major football leagues across the world, with many other sporting tournaments also postponed.
There is no specific date fixed for the resumption of the English Premier League, the Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, or Ligue 1, as the world watches how medical practitioners battle the contagious disease.
While charging all stakeholders to direct every effort towards halting the COVID-19 pandemic so that football will make a quick return, Infantino maintains that football can wait for as long as possible, at least until the killer-virus is defeated.
“Football is not the most important thing, health comes first and should remain our priority until this sickness has been defeated,” he said while addressing the 72nd Ordinary CONMEBOL Congress during a speech via video link, in quotes obtained from BeinSports.
“Tomorrow, we all would like to see football again, but we don’t know when we will be able to resume playing, and no one around the world knows when we will be able to play like before.
“It is very important that football follows the instructions of the health authorities and governments, and it is very important that football gives a good example because it’s clear that no match is more important than a human life.
“It is our responsibility as football administrators, first of all, to ensure football can survive and secondly move forward once again. This is not only our responsibility but also our obligation.”
