CORONAVIRUS continues to have an impact on sporting events, with Liverpool’s match against Bournemouth the latest to take precautionary safety measures.
There were no pre-match handshakes or mascots before kick-off at Anfield as the governing bodies aim to control the outbreak of the disease.
Premier League players are not allowed to shake hands before the gameCredit: Reuters
Both sets of players walked past each other very awkwardly instead of the usual handshake routine before kick-off.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was ensuring he stuck to the new rules as he refrained from shaking hands, instead using his elbow.
Premier League clubs could lose over £100million a month if the government decides to make fixtures be played without fans.
The Government announced that talks with sports governing bodies, leagues and broadcasters are scheduled for Monday.
There have been 164 confirmed cases in the UK so far as countries struggle to prevent the virus from spreading even further.
Italy have been hit hard by the outbreak and many of their sporting events have been cancelled or forced to be played behind closed doors.
England’s fixture against Italy in Rome in the Six Nations had to be cancelled and Serie A has had to postpone numerous fixtures.
Tennis is the latest sport to have to make changes with tour and event officials for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells next week considering a temporary ban on ball-kids delivering towels to the players between points in a bid to avoid risk of spreading the virus.
Credit: BT Sport
Credit: BT Sport
Credit: BT Sport
If the Premier League is forced to play fixtures behind closed doors, broadcasters Sky and BT Sports could be asked to show matches for free so supporters who intended to attend could still see the game.
Premier League chiefs have sent a letter to all 20 clubs explaining that there is a possibility that there could be no choice but to play behind closed doors.
Prem and FA bosses will not make the move to play games with no fans inside the stadium unless it is the strong advice of the government.
Jurgen Klopp says celebrities opinions are pointless when asked about coronavirus
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
