admin
LONDON. — All elite football in England has been suspended until at least April 3 as a result of the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
All English Premier League games, EFL fixtures and matches in the FA Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship have been postponed.
The measure to postpone Premier League football was agreed at an “emergency club meeting” yesterday and in light of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Chelsea midfielder Callum Hodson-Odoi confirming they had tested positive for the virus.
The English Premier League said action would resume on April 4 “subject to medical advice and conditions at the time”.
The Football Association said England’s games against Italy on March 27 and Denmark four days later are off.
The EFL, which hopes to resume play a day earlier than the Premier League on April 3, said clubs were also advised to suspend “non-essential activities” such as “player appearances, training ground visits and fan meetings”.
The news was confirmed in a collective statement: “The FA, Premier League, EFL and Barclays FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship have collectively agreed to postpone the professional game in England until April 3 at the earliest.
“This action, which will be kept under constant review, has been taken due to the increasing numbers of Clubs taking steps to isolate their players and staff because of the COVID-19 virus.
“The postponements include all matches in the Championship, League One and League Two, as well as all Academy and youth team fixtures.
“In addition, clubs are being advised to suspend indefinitely all non-essential activities which include, but are not limited to, player appearances, training ground visits and fan meetings.
“Whilst the EFL board has continued to take the advice and guidance offered by the Government and its health advisors, emerging developments mean now is the time to implement football’s contingency plans in response to the crisis.
“A further update on these plans will be given post an EFL board meeting next week.
“This decision has not been taken lightly, but the EFL must prioritise the health and well-being of players, staff and supporters while also acknowledging the Government’s national efforts in tackling this outbreak.”
Arsenal head coach Arteta will self-isolate in line with government health guidelines and it is expected the first-team squad — along with coaching staff — will do the same; Arsenal’s game against Brighton today had already been postponed as a result.
An Everton player has been placed in isolation after he reported coronavirus symptoms and Watford have cancelled training this week with several players informing Nigel Pearson they feel unwell.
Five members of staff at Bournemouth, including goalkeeper Artur Boruc, are self-isolating because they are displaying symptoms consistent with Covid-19. Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed on Thursday three of his players are being kept away from the rest of the squad after displaying coronavirus symptoms.
The Premier League has now postponed its entire fixture list until April 4, becoming the latest sporting body to take action to combat the threat of coronavirus.
Many sporting events across Europe have already been postponed or played behind closed doors but several have still gone ahead in the United Kingdom, with the Cheltenham horse racing festival attracting capacity crowds across all four days.
UEFA members will meet on Tuesday to discuss how best to proceed with domestic and European club competitions amid the coronavirus pandemic — with Euro 2020 likely to be postponed until next summer.
The meeting, which will be held via video conference, will see the 55 member associations discuss the issue and how it might affect Euro 2020, which is scheduled to begin on June 12.
These are deeply turbulent times in English football — and across world sport — which is having to face up to a period of disruption and dislocation unprecedented in peacetime.
Privately, all parties admit that resuming matches in early April — when the initial suspension will be reviewed — will be almost impossible.
But the hope is that next week a decision is taken to postpone Euro 2020 for a year, thereby freeing up space in the calendar to reschedule outstanding matches and complete domestic league seasons across the continent at some stage.
This action goes against the government’s highly controversial advice to continue staging sports events despite mass gatherings being closed or cancelled across the world.
But Department for Culture Media and Sport officials are known to be supportive of the decision football authorities have taken, given the need to protect employees and the mounting cases of players contracting the virus.
The problem is that the outbreak is expected to be at its peak in May and June so if the suspension keeps on being extended, some clubs may start to push for the season to be declared void, a nightmare scenario for clubs like Liverpool and Leeds, who both stand on the brink of long-awaited glory.
But as it stands, there seems to be a determination to complete the season if at all possible. Simply stopping the season as it stands now seems unlikely given it would run the risk of legal action from clubs relegated or denied promotion.
The EFL is expected to ask the government for financial help for some of the clubs who now face even more financial uncertainty but there is no guarantee this will be possible in these extraordinary times. — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter