“We would play four away games against Brabant teams on Saturday and we all canceled them,” says Francois Shambone. According to the youth president of Unitas from Gorinchem, with the cancellation he wants to prevent the corona virus from spreading further.
“Some parents did not like to play in Brabant and you have to imagine that some children will be dropped off at the gate here and that we will be responsible for them after all,” Shambone explains. He should not think about playing a coronavirus when he plays a Unitas player. “Imagine, you will have it on your conscience.”
Hysteria
Sjoerd Moussou, sports journalist and parent of one of the players at JEKA, believes that Unitas’ decision resembles hysteria. “I am careful, but this is going too far. As if the spread of the corona virus stops when you put a big fence around Brabant.”
According to Moussou, it is also naive because the Gorinchem is only five hundred meters from the Brabant municipality of Altena, where four corona cases have been reported. “We are now looking for another opponent, because we have been training in the rain for six weeks and now that the sun is shining, we could not play.”
JEKA has introduced some rules. People with respiratory complaints are requested to stay at home, as RIVM advises.
Guidelines
The chairman of JEKA in Breda respects the decision of Unitas, but believes that the guidelines of the RIVM and KNVB must be followed. “If someone feels sick or has a cold, he or she should not play football now. But that does not mean that people who want to exercise should stay at home,” says Philip Bos.
Johan Verbakel, who is the head of football organization at JEKA, personally finds it a bit exaggerated not to play against Brabant teams. “My biggest concern was to inform everyone in time. It is a shame for the children, but we just follow the guidelines.”
As far as he is concerned, everyone must use common sense. “On the other hand, it can be very nice for children to play a game of football outside and that we don’t shake hands for a moment, nobody is concerned about that,” says Verbakel.
Fine
The KNVB is very firm about canceling matches against Brabant clubs because of the corona virus. “We follow the line of the RIVM and the GGD, so you can just play football,” says Daan Schippers of the KNVB.
“That Unitas does not want to play against Brabant clubs will be seen as not showing up, so that will come for the prosecutor.” Schippers, however, expects that the prosecutor of the KNVB will take the situation into account, but emphasizes that it is up to the prosecutor.
Youth president Shambone of Unitas is aware that he is risking a fine because his club does not want to play against Brabant teams. “That is only true. We take it for granted and are happy to play these games in the short term as soon as peace has returned to Brabant.”
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