In less than one month the national Elite football championship will kick off. Football activities will once more return to the country after the competition was suspended due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

A total of 20 clubs will be vying for the championship title. Title holders, PWD of Bamenda, will be out to defend the title they won last season while in Elite Two clubs will be seeking for a place in the superior league.

What has been the major cause for worry is the physical fitness of the players ahead of the kick off. The physical fitness of a player however can be a determinant of success during competition.

Many football pundits have expressed doubts as to whether the players will be able to perform well when the competition kicks off. The players have been out of the field for six months due to the long period of break.

In March the Cameroon Football Federation suspended football competitions in the country following the Coronavirus pandemic. That has not only brought hardship to football actors but has affected the performance of the players. The period of inactivity alone is a major hindrance to the performance of the players.

Some football officials say even though competitions have been suspended the players train individually in order to maintain their form. In most cases training programmes are given to players through social media to help them work.

The problem is that it is not certain how much time these players spend on training. Moreover, they are training without the guidance of the coach and the technical staff. Also, not all the players may have been training.

For the new season to begin in late September it means clubs have only one month to begin training. Apart from that the resumption date has been fixed at a time when clubs are carrying recruitment of players to boost performance.

With the little time remaining the club officials must ensure they have more competitive players. Many believe that the one month preparation period will not be enough as the new players will have to adjust with their teams.

The managements of the different teams need enough time to test the physical fitness of the players registering them for competition. Also, the health of the players must be monitored so as to ensure a safe and healthy competition.