Argentina yet to set date for football restart post COVID-19 hiatus

Buenos Aires (IANS) :The Argentinian government is yet to decide when domestic football will resume after months of inactivity because of the coronavirus pandemic, Tourism and Sports Minister Matias Lammens has said.

First division clubs were allowed to return to training on August 10, however, officials have remained guarded about plans to restart competitions.

"There is no date yet, it is important to highlight that," Lammens told a news conference on Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency. "What we have established was the return to training in small groups with players keeping their distance."

Lammens said he would next week meet health minister Gines Gonzalez to discuss the next steps, but stopped short of forecasting a return date for the country's top leagues.

He added that the government was wary of authorising football to restart too quickly, citing a series of suspended matches in Brazil because of coronavirus outbreaks within squads.

Argentina has more than 268,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and over 5,000 deaths, according to health ministry figures.