IT WAS Bill Shankly who famously declared: “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.”
Well now the late, great Shankly’s theory is about to be put to the ultimate test by the coronavirus.
A Birmingham fan shows less than 100 per cent commitment to protecting himself from coronavirus but it will be a huge problem for the gameCredit: Alamy Live News
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says decisions on football and the coronavirus should be left to expertsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Because the big question that now needs to be asked is just how far are you prepared to go to support your team?
Are you ready to risk contracting a potentially fatal illness to watch Burnley against Spurs tomorrow?
Or will be you going into self-isolation with only Pointless Celebrities to keep you entertained?
Whichever option you choose, the bad news is that you are still going to die at some point.
You, me, even Bill Gates. None of us is immortal.
But hopefully none of us will be looking the Grim Reaper in the eye any time soon.
So just how far can we push our luck in the face of a potential pandemic which is threatening to overwhelm every aspect of our daily lives? Rugby bosses have already cancelled the Six Nations fixtures involving virus-stricken Italy while all Serie A games are being played behind closed doors for the next month at least.
Many fans are ready to sign up for the season being cancelled if it deprives Liverpool of the Prem title. But this goes way beyond local rivalries and poses a serious threat to football.
Now the authorities in this country are coming under increasing pressure to take similarly drastic action.
But if we are relying on Fifa or the FA to take these life-or-death decisions then I’m afraid we’re all doomed.
If their past records are anything to go by, the entire world will be wiped out before they get round to taking any meaningful action.
The best piece of advice on the subject this week came from Shankly’s Liverpool heir Jurgen Klopp when he declared: “My opinion on coronavirus is not important because I have no knowledge on this subject.
“Smarter people than me must decide if we play football or not.”
It seems many supporters of other clubs are ready to sign up for the entire season being cancelled if it would mean the Reds being deprived of their first Premier League title.
But this is a matter which goes way beyond local rivalries and poses a serious threat to football’s long-term future.
Forcing teams to play behind closed doors might actually improve the poor atmosphere at West Ham’s London Stadium but would have disastrous financial consequences for many other clubs.
The majority of top-flight teams no longer rely on gate receipts because they are protected by the Premier League’s £9billion TV deal.
But many smaller clubs would face going to the wall if they had to refund season ticket holders denied access to games.
It is worth pointing out that, as of last night, only two British citizens have died as a direct consequence of coronavirus and one of those was on a cruise ship in Japan.
More than one million people have attended football matches in England alone over this past week and as far as I am aware none of them is among the hundred-or-so UK victims of the virus.
Coronavirus was the last thing on Eric Dier’s mind when he confronted fans
I would guess that you are far more likely to catch something nasty from travelling on the London Underground during rush hour.
Your chances of dying are certainly going to be increased if you are one of those people who have been pictured on the tube with a plastic bag over your head.
Most people, thankfully, appear to be taking a more level-headed approach to the issue and are listening to the actual medical experts who know what they are talking about.
Some football teams have taken the added precaution of banning handshakes to reduce the risk of spreading the infection and others are considering refusing selfie requests from fans.
Tottenham’s Eric Dier obviously has no concerns about mingling with fans.
But if I were a certain Arsenal player with the weakest immune system in football I would be worried about any human contact right now.
So maybe the final word should also go to Shankly, who once said of a Merseyside derby: “Sickness wouldn’t have kept me away from this one.
“If I’d been dead, I would have had them bring the casket to the ground, prop it up in the stands and cut a hole in it.”
No football match is worth dying for. But can you live without it?
MATTER OF FACT, RAFA
RAFA BENITEZ has been rewriting history again.
He declared to Spanish paper Marca that he was denied a Liverpool title win by the owner’s failure to invest in his team.
“The difference between my Liverpool and now is that we had no money,” Benitez said. “Our transfer budget in my final season was 17million euros and you could not compete.
“We had to sell to buy and when you sell (Javier) Mascherano, Xabi Alonso and (Fernando) Torres you don’t get closer to rivals.”
What Rafa forgot to mention was that during his six years at Anfield, only Chelsea spent more than Liverpool’s accumulated £245million.
In his final year alone he spent £40m on Alberto Aquilani, Glen Johnson and Sotirios Kyrgiakos, who all subsequently left on frees.
Oh, and both Mascherano and Torres were still Liverpool players when Benitez was sacked in 2010 for finishing seventh.
HONEST TROY A JOY
TROY DEENEY will never play for England and will never win the Golden Boot.
But the Watford captain deserves a medal for telling it like it is — and every team could do with someone like him.
The striker was gloriously level-headed as he reflected on his team’s stunning 3-0 win against Liverpool last Saturday.
He brought giddy supporters crashing back to earth when he pointed out that they didn’t get any extra points for inflicting their first league defeat.
And he was even more dismissive of his contribution to preserving Arsenal’s place in football history.
It is now 16 years since the Invincibles completed an entire season unbeaten.
Gunners fans should be embarrassed to still be celebrating when their team is tenth in the table.
TAT WON’T DO, WAGS
INTERESTING story about bidding for the designer cast-offs of a bunch of ex-footballers’ partners.
These philanthropic Wags do not like the idea of seeing their old handbags and gladrags hanging unappreciated in local charity shops.
So they set up a website allowing us peasants to acknowledge their generosity by paying premium prices for their old tat.
Carlo Cudicini’s girlfriend Anoesjcka Gianotti said: “We can make these items useful by attaching meaningful stories to them.
“This can be the new luxury.”
They even plan to mark their donations with an invisible forensic DNA label, whatever the hell that means.
The website opens for business tomorrow. Don’t all rush at once.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
