Nigeria suspends football matches due to coronavirus

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Football games in Nigeria has been suspended for a month due to the coronavirus outbreak, the African country's football association said 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," the Nigerian Football Federation said on its website.

The NFF stopped "all on-field activities" such as the matches of national teams, Nigeria Professional Football League and other leagues, and youth football programs as well as street football.

The virus known as COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 150 countries and territories. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.

Out of over 218,823 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 8,800, while more than 84,100 have recovered, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.