Burundi Resumes League, Tanzania Plans For June 1st

The Primus Ligue in Burundi has resumed, becoming the first African league to do so following suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The season restarted with a match between Musongati and Athletico Olympic on Thursday of last week. The match, which took place at the Stade Ingoma in Gitaga, resulted in a 3-3 draw and was fully attended, including by the Burundi Football Federation president.

Meanwhile, the Government of Tanzania has announced plans for sports to resume in the country as of June 1st. Football in Tanzania has been on pause since March 17.

Last week Chipolopolo coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic pointed to the resumption of football in some top leagues as a good sign that a return for Zambia could be coming before too long.

The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has been considering the options available for resuming the League in the coming weeks.

Among the possibilities being considered are the winding down of the League through playing matches behind closed doors, or allowing teams to play an equal number of games. 

A third option may be to have teams play the remaining games later in the year, with the 2020/2021 season pushed back until March 2021. 

The group’s general secretary Adrian Kashala has, however, reassured fans that FAZ does not intent to copy other associations by nullifying the league.

Earlier this month Kashala stated, “We want to have the league decided on the pitch. It is an investment for the clubs and stakeholders so you can’t just say we have cancelled the league.”

FAZ indefinitely suspended league matches as of March 19 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As it stands there are nine remaining fixtures in the Super League, which is sponsored by MTN.