CHELSEA and Liverpool both cancelled press conferences set for today amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Frank Lampard and Jurgen Klopp were due to speak ahead of the matches against Aston Villa and Everton this weekend respectively.
Frank Lampard will not address the media on Friday with Chelsea in lockdownCredit: Rex Features
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But neither manager wanted to address the media before it was announced that the Premier League is being suspended for three weeks.
Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for coronavirus and is in self-isolation.
Footie chiefs remain determined to resume as soon as possible – it’s hoped by the middle of April – and play out the campaign to a full conclusion.
The Football League and the Women’s Super League have also been suspended until the weekend of April 4.
Last night’s positive tests for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi saw both London clubs immediately go into lockdown.
Arsenal’s game with Brighton was an immediate casualty, with Chelsea’s trip to Aston Villa also now scrapped.
The league had issued a statement confirming this weekend’s games would go ahead as scheduled barely half an hour before Arsenal confirmed the Arteta diagnosis.
But Prem chiefs responded by confirming an emergency club meeting would be held this morning to assess the rapidly evolving situation.
Jurgen Klopp will also not speak on Friday amid the coronavirus lockdownCredit: AFP or licensors
Some clubs – understood to include a few currently fighting relegation – are pushing for the league to be cancelled.
But that remains firmly off the agenda at this stage.
In any event, the Prem rulebook means the clubs have no say in the way the competition is scheduled.
It is a decision entirely under control of the board, interim chair Claudia Arney, chief executive Richard Masters and Kevin Beeston.
Chelsea FC’s Callum Hudson-Odoi says he has RECOVERED from coronavirus after self-isolating
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
