This archive report was first published on 10 June 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across Africa, footballers from the continent have come together to raise awareness about how to prevent its spread.
Launched under the hashtag #19KickupsAgainstCovid19, the 'Stay safe for Africa' campaign encourages footballers to share videos of themselves performing 19 kick-ups, a challenge that has already gained traction among former international footballers.
Egypt's Ahmed Hassan, Nigeria's Joseph Yobo, Tunisia's Karim Haggui, and the Democratic Republic of Congo's Lomana LuaLua are among the footballers who have taken part in the initiative.
According to AFP figures, Africa has recorded over 200,000 COVID-19 cases, including more than 5,500 fatalities.
"Football brings together people from different backgrounds, nationalities, and languages, and we hope this social media challenge will bring people together in the same way," said Anthony Baffoe, deputy secretary general of the Confederation of African Football.
"Even though the football season has been put on hold, we must continue to come together, with distance, and fight the spread of this disease and misinformation," he added.
