Soccer tournament preparation challenges
On the soccer field, both Syria and the Philippines are scrambling to bring in naturalized players with a view to strengthening their strength. Meanwhile, our opponents Guam and Maldives have suffered a lull in their preparations. While Guam, which just went through a coaching change with Korean coach Seo Dong-won replacing Karl Dodd, seems to have few problems, the Maldives may be in a more dire situation.
Recently, the Maldives outbreak has been dramatically worsened by the influx of Indian carriers of the mutated virus, with new cases in a single day soaring to 15 times the level of a month ago, with more than 1,500 new cases per day. In response to this situation, the Maldives has imposed a strict 14-day quarantine on arrivals from India and South Asian countries. Currently, the situation of the epidemic in the country is not optimistic. The AFC has announced on May 9 that the group stage of the AFC Cup, hosted by the Maldives, has been postponed indefinitely, while the league has also been suspended after the completion of 14 rounds of matches. This has put pressure on the Maldives national team's preparations as well as the 40-team tournament hosted by the country to prevent the epidemic.
Although vaccination is widespread in Maldivian soccer, the Indian-made COVAX vaccine used is not recognized by WHO. The efficacy of this vaccine is questionable, as is its effectiveness against the current outbreak of the Indian double mutated virus in the Maldives.
The CFA needs to urgently consult with the Maldives Football Association (MFA) and AFC to ensure that all members of the Maldives delegation to China are vaccinated and have a negative nucleic acid test report within 72 hours. In addition, they will be required to undergo a further nucleic acid test and quarantine upon entry. Given the development of the epidemic, it is possible that the Maldives national team may follow the example of North Korea and choose to forgo the Top 40 tournament. The CFA should pay close attention to the developments of the epidemic in the Maldives, adjust the epidemic prevention and preparation plan in a timely manner, and make all preparations.
