Liberia soccer league set to resume after ‘Ebola break’

Liberia’s elite soccer league will resume next weekend after an eight-month Ebola induced break.

With the virus – which accounted for more than 3, 400 lives in Liberia – close to elimination, the Liberia Football Association (LFA) has set a date for the commencement of the new season.

“We have, and will, put all preventative measures in place,” LFA president, Musa Bility, told BBC Sport.

“We believe the recent case should not have any impact on our decision to start our league.

“The players will have the same tests at every interval, so that’s before the game, at half-time and after the match as well.

“Every club has to meet a standard set by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA and right now, our leading clubs are going through that process.

“The higher divisions need a higher certification to be processed – and they haven’t started that yet.

“Our players have not been training (since the league’s suspension) so we hope the damage will not be bad. But the fitness of our players has been damaged.”

The game would have returned earlier after Liberia nearly went the length of the virus’ incubation period without a new case.

But on March 20, just one day to the 21 days needed, a new case was diagnosed, with the patient dying seven days later at a treatment centre in the capital Monrovia.

A country has to spend 42 days without a new case to be officially declared Ebola-free.

The league though will resume under cautionary stance as there will be a reduction in the number of fans allowed to attend the matches.