Until August 31. I know it's not the priority but if we have a similar time frame football won't be back to normal anytime soon.
The bosses at the EFL and PL. Want to play behind closed doors. Well who'd have thought. Football will have to be a non contact sport and will have to carry out social distancing. Oh now I've said that. I've realised it's been like that since chopper Harris retired. Nowt to alter there then. 36 players + official's etc will not constitute a mass gathering. Crack on.
The footballers themselves are somebody’s family members. For the most part they will have been loved, supported, picked up when they’re low, nervous, frightened, verbally abused, threatened etc from being young. Their parents will no doubt have backed them with time, effort and finance, often when they could ill afford to do so and whilst juggling jobs, time with their other kids and strain on their partners. This will have been done with the best will of their kids at the forefront so that they could do what they loved and make a living(not always brilliant) from it. For the fa, premier league, sky, betting companies and the efl to want to risk the health of these young men and women for money is a ******* disgrace and should be criminally negligent.
More or less criminally negligent than the companies that are operating now in the UK employing millions of workers?
it’s different though isn’t it ? Those businesses are adopting distancing. That’s impossible in football. A lot of the businesses are operating under instructions from the govt and it is important to keep the country moving as much as safely possible. I just don’t see how football can be of any relevance at the moment and this desperation to play so many games in a short space of time whilst risking the health of the players seems daft to me and purely motivated by money.
But who gains anything at all from these people risking their health and playing behind closed doors apart from those companies/affiliations with a self serving financial interest?
The thing that gets me is the stupid list of solutions.... Super computer...err no... too many incalculable variables so you might as well ask Mystic Meg'. If there were fewer matches left to play, teams mathematically certain to be promoted or relegated could do so (which would lead to a temporary change in numbers per division for one season) but other than there is simply no solution that could satisfy everyone so the only alternative really need to write off the season. That way the minimum number of clubs are affected. Relegations and Promotions based on matches played so far is, for reasons already discussed unfair and would lead to legal action. Whilst I am no lawyer, IMHO, any legal action brought by a handful of affected clubs for losses incurred by losing out on promotion, or a place in the Champions League (let's face it teams like, Barnsley, Luton who would avoid the drop are highly unlikely to take legal action), would fail for 2 reasons. 1) they are not mathematically assured of promotion at the point of abandonment and 2) The 'clincher'....The FA and FL can justifiably claim Force Majeur as their defence. Hell! It doesn't take a lawyer to argue that. I reckon a first year law student could win that one!
Football can't re-start until a vaccine is available - how else are they going to cope with all the gozzing that goes on during a match?
A lot of those businesses are definitely not essential though and a lot are not operating using social distancing.
Wouldn't surprise me if similar restrictions were to stay in place in many countries. Relaxing lockdowns will br possible but large gatherings seem like a very long way off.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries Deaths per million population Belgium with a population at eleven and a half million are third in the world. We are 8th and will probably go down to 9th as Netherlands are in a bad way.
Totally agree. I find it disturbing that the football authorities seem to think that their business is more important than the outside world. There is no benefit of playing behind closed doors. The fact that using Wembley and St George’s Park has been suggested, just sums it up. Look after the FA. Sorry football world. It’s just not on. Out in the real world all kinds if businesses are suffering real hardship, yet football seems to consider itself a special case. Brian Howard’s interview the other day highlighted the impossibility of a solution regarding players and contracts. In fairness to clubs, players and fans alike the FA and EFL need to take a reality check. Any plans for playing anything before Christmas are unrealistic and unfair on players, officials and staff who are put at extra risk. If it is not safe for spectators, it’s not safe for the aforementioned.
I'm glad I managed to cancel my sport subscription before the phone lines became overwhelmed and everyone just had to "pause" it. Because behind close doors football is not something I want to pay to see on tv.