Coronavirus: Life has become harder but players must adapt - Sofapaka's Okoth

Sofapaka striker Ronald Okoth has said life has become harder for footballers due to the coronavirus pandemic but they must learn to adapt to the situation.

The Kenyan Premier League (KPL) is among those which have been suspended as governments try to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Okoth says players have been hit hard by the suspension but adds the most import thing is to adapt and hope the league will resume soon.

“To be honest, the issue has driven us backwards in terms of league development and players as well. We are not training and we have no matches to look forward to over the weekends,” Okoth told Goal.

“It means there are no training allowances and match bonuses and this has really affected the players who depended on these financial boosts from the clubs. 

“Without the bonuses, life becomes harder and we also have families to take care of. It has affected a lot of things for sure. 

“But I cannot complain much because it has affected almost everywhere in the world. The most important thing is to adapt quickly and hope things will be better soon.”

The former Western Stima, Gor Mahia and Mathare United forward also called for the need to follow safety guidelines in the fight against it.

“This pandemic has brought a lot of problems in the sports industry especially football where no teams are playing and players are not even training together,” added the star.

“At the same time, its effects have also hit many people financially and if this goes on for a longer period, we are facing hard times indeed ahead.

“We can only hope the things will get better but for the time now we have no other option but to follow the guidelines put in place by the government and the respective clubs.”

Okoth has been keeping fit with regular training sessions at home as he hopes the KPL will continue when the coronavirus issue has been dealt with.

“At the same time, we are trying to keep fit by training at home and hopefully, the league will resume soon after we have dealt with the corona pandemic,” he concluded.

The KPL moved to suspend the league further after the tentative date of resumption of April 4 became untenable due to the current situation in the country.