Colombia's President Iván Duque has again rejected the possibility of restarting the professional football championship in the country despite the teams' request to play behind closed doors and according to a security protocol presented to the executive. "It would be irresponsible of me to say that we will start with football behind closed doors - explained Duque - when the conditions are not met today. And I have not seen a first championship that said that the health of the players is completely guaranteed".
Shortly before, the Minister of Sports, Ernesto Lucena, had opened a window saying that football could start again in July or August, following the biosecurity protocol to be implemented to make the championship resume, without the public. Already a week ago President Duque had denied any possibility of restarting the football championship, underlining that mass shows and events are not allowed in the country due to the coronavirus. The President further explained that "football is a highly risky activity for the health of athletes".
Duque then reiterated yesterday that "it is very difficult" to ensure that all the people who are part of the teams and the logistics of the tournament are not infected with the disease. "There is no functional protocol for football, nobody can play soccer with masks," Duque replied about a proposal for a health protocol from the División Mayor del Fútbol (Dimayor), an entity in charge of managing professional football tournaments in Colombia. The country's 36 first and second division teams have been hit economically since the championships stopped because of the pandemic, and are demanding decisions that allow them to get out of the crisis they are in.