The Bhutan Football Federation (BFF) will resume the country’s top domestic league, Bhutan Premier League 2020, from tomorrow. The league was suspended after the government imposed a nationwide lockdown on 11th August.
With the government allowing games and sports activities following the phase-wise unlocking, the BFF announced to continue with the Bhutan Premier League 2020, yesterday. The League kicked-off last month and so far, only six matches were played.
“We will be resuming the league starting this week with stringent measures and we have fast fixtures too so that we can finish the league soon, even if there is another lockdown, we can finish it on time. So, a lot of SOPs and additional measures are in place,” said Phuntsho Wangdi, the Head of Commercial and Communication at the BFF.
In case of another lockdown, the BFF plans to extend the League till March next year.
“The season can go till 2021 which is not a problem but if the lockdown is very frequent and if we feel that we really cannot continue then there is always an option to stop the tournament as well. But we really hope that there is no lockdown in the coming days,” he added.
At the moment, Ugyen Academy FC is at the top of the league table by goal difference followed by Thimphu City FC and Transport United FC. Eight teams from Thimphu, Paro, Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang are taking part in the competition this time. If things go as planned, the league is expected to be over by the end of November.
Meanwhile, as part of the COVID-19 safety protocols, the BFF is developing a mobile application similar to Druk Trace to help track movement of the League’s players and officials within the tournament period. The federation also cancelled bookings for Changjiji and Changlimithang grounds for local matches to minimize the number of people visiting the stadiums.
Passang Dorji
