Premier League players could be about to follow their counterparts in Spain and Italy by calling for football to be suspended amid the coronavirus crisis.
That’s according to the Telegraph, who report on Wednesday that the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has warned that Premier League players are against the idea of playing matches behind closed doors.
“I can foresee that, at some stage, there will be a call to play games in empty stadiums,” said PFA deputy chief executive Bobby Barnes.
“Players don’t want to play in empty stadiums. Equally, I think there is a pressure, if you like, for the fixtures to take place.
“It would be fair to say that the players that we’ve spoken to are not huge fans of playing in empty stadiums.”
Earlier this week, the equivalents of the PFA in Italy and Spain both called for football in their respective countries to completely halted until the coronavirus outbreak is under control.
On Monday, the Italian Prime Minister announced that all sporting events in the country will be suspended until 3 April, while the next two matchweeks in Spain will be played behind closed doors.
In France, there is a possibility that the rest of the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 seasons could now be played behind closed doors.
Barnes adds that players in England and abroad have expressed concerns about catching the disease and potentially passing it on to their elderly relatives if they are forced to continue playing.
“There have been concerns about elderly relatives voiced. There have been concerns about potential cross-contamination. There are lots of issues that are on the table at the moment,” he said.
“Be assured that, should there come a time when we get to this stage, the opinions of our members will be very much reflected in the statement that we’ll make.
“This is an issue that goes far beyond football. This is a crisis, effectively, that is affecting the health of all. And I think that has to be the priority. Football is important but it’s not as important as public health. (AFP)
