Coronavirus

AS coronavirus cases surge again, the Premier League is facing mounting questions over the rest of the season.
Here, SunSport’s Martin Lipton runs through the main issues and provides answers to key questions.

The Premier League’s latest casualty was Fulham vs Spurs on Wednesday Credit: Getty Images – Getty

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Man City counterpart Pep Guardiola are waiting anxiously to see what happens next in the Premier LeagueCredit: Kevin Quigley-The Daily Mail

Everton’s Prem clash with Man City, scheduled for Monday was also postponed just hours before kick-off
WILL PREMIER LEAGUE BE SUSPENDED?

Not if League chiefs can avoid it, for many reasons. Scheduling is the main one, but they also risk losing yet more millions in TV company “rebates”, on top of the £340m the clubs have to pay back for LAST season.
BUT WHY ARE GAMES BEING CALLED OFF?
Prem rules actually say that postponement requests “will not be granted” if a club has 14 or more senior players available.
But the League Board can exercise discretion “on a case by case basis” and both Manchester City’s trip to Everton and Tottenham’s home game with Fulham were postponed over fears of the virus being passed on to the opposition dressing room.
THAT’S TWO GAMES. SO WHY ARE PEOPLE CONCERNED?
City and United started the season a week late, because of their Euro exertions in the summer.

So City are now two games behind, as are Aston Villa, who were due to play United on the opening weekend.
Now Newcastle, Everton, Burnley, Spurs and Fulham are also a game shy of schedule.

CAN’T THEY JUST MAKE UP THE GAMES?
It’s not that easy. The delayed start means the Prem season, normally spread over 34 weekends, is actually being played over 32, with two extra midweek dates scheduled.
But there is far less wriggle room after European games meant midweeks were unavailable until the middle of December.

Prem fixture planners have set aside three “catch-up” dates – March 2, April 20 and May 19 – but there is still not enough room if teams go deep in Europe and the domestic cups.
YES, BUT WHAT ABOUT EXTENDING THE SEASON?
No can do. Unless there is a Europe-wide shutdown, the Prem must finish on May 23, to give players time to prepare for the delayed Euro 2020 starting in June.
The Europa League and Champions League Finals are the following week, too. 

SO WHAT IF THERE IS A SERIES OF INFECTIONS?
Being unable to complete the full season is the Prem’s worst fear, especially as clubs would have to confirm “curtailment rules” allowing a points per game calculation.
They were already split on how many matches need to be played for the season to be deemed legitimate – and are now LESS likely to reach agreement. 

Premier League clubs consider short-term shutdown after rise in coronavirus cases with matches postponed More

AS coronavirus cases surge again, the Premier League is facing mounting questions over the rest of the season.
Here, SunSport’s Martin Lipton runs through the main issues and provides answers to key questions.

The Premier League’s latest casualty was Fulham vs Spurs on Wednesday Credit: Getty Images – Getty

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Man City counterpart Pep Guardiola are waiting anxiously to see what happens next in the Premier LeagueCredit: Kevin Quigley-The Daily Mail

Everton’s Prem clash with Man City, scheduled for Monday was also postponed just hours before kick-off
WILL PREMIER LEAGUE BE SUSPENDED?

Not if League chiefs can avoid it, for many reasons. Scheduling is the main one, but they also risk losing yet more millions in TV company “rebates”, on top of the £340m the clubs have to pay back for LAST season.
BUT WHY ARE GAMES BEING CALLED OFF?
Prem rules actually say that postponement requests “will not be granted” if a club has 14 or more senior players available.
But the League Board can exercise discretion “on a case by case basis” and both Manchester City’s trip to Everton and Tottenham’s home game with Fulham were postponed over fears of the virus being passed on to the opposition dressing room.
THAT’S TWO GAMES. SO WHY ARE PEOPLE CONCERNED?
City and United started the season a week late, because of their Euro exertions in the summer.

So City are now two games behind, as are Aston Villa, who were due to play United on the opening weekend.
Now Newcastle, Everton, Burnley, Spurs and Fulham are also a game shy of schedule.

CAN’T THEY JUST MAKE UP THE GAMES?
It’s not that easy. The delayed start means the Prem season, normally spread over 34 weekends, is actually being played over 32, with two extra midweek dates scheduled.
But there is far less wriggle room after European games meant midweeks were unavailable until the middle of December.

Prem fixture planners have set aside three “catch-up” dates – March 2, April 20 and May 19 – but there is still not enough room if teams go deep in Europe and the domestic cups.
YES, BUT WHAT ABOUT EXTENDING THE SEASON?
No can do. Unless there is a Europe-wide shutdown, the Prem must finish on May 23, to give players time to prepare for the delayed Euro 2020 starting in June.
The Europa League and Champions League Finals are the following week, too. 

SO WHAT IF THERE IS A SERIES OF INFECTIONS?
Being unable to complete the full season is the Prem’s worst fear, especially as clubs would have to confirm “curtailment rules” allowing a points per game calculation.
They were already split on how many matches need to be played for the season to be deemed legitimate – and are now LESS likely to reach agreement. 

Premier League clubs consider short-term shutdown after rise in coronavirus cases with matches postponed More

TOTTENHAM are demanding answers from Premier League chiefs after their game with Fulham was called off little more than three hours before kick-off.
But the Prem remained bullish that the current Covid-hit season will continue due to their protocols.

Tottenham were forced to postpone their game with Fulham at very late noticeCredit: Getty Images – Getty

The late decision left Spurs questioning why League bosses waited so long to respond to Fulham’s request for a postponement — as Jose Mourinho’s side are now plunged into a fixture crisis.
But while Spurs fumed, concerns over the security of the Prem campaign grew as:
Tottenham’s frustration intensified as Mourinho, his staff and players gathered at their base to prepare for the Fulham match, which was axed just after 2.30pm.
Prem chiefs explained the decision was made due to ‘a significant rise in Covid cases and a number of players showing symptoms’.

SunSport understands six Fulham players and four staff tested positive, which meant no automatic postponement as they still had 14 or more players available.
But they had the backing of Public Health England and the Prem added: “The Board consulted its medical advisors and the decision to postpone is a precaution taken with health of players and staff as priority.”
Fulham’s squad was ‘retested immediately’ in the hope they can fulfil Sunday’s trip to Burnley.
The postponement adds to Spurs’ fixture problems, already facing a minimum seven games in three competitions next month before the Europa League resumes in February.

⚽ Read our explainer on what will happen in the Premier League with coronavirus cases surging

Within 90 minutes, City confirmed their squad had the green light to return to the training ground, which had been closed down for a ‘deep clean’ on Monday.
Five players — including Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker — were missing after testing positive when Pep Guardiola’s squad trained at their HQ, partially closed ‘in consultation’ with League bosses.
City said: “The Covid-19 bubble underwent testing on Tuesday and results so far revealed no new positives.”
That was good news for the Prem, which is desperate to avoid a new shutdown.

The Premier League has not discussed pausing the season and has no plans to.
A statement read: “The League has confidence in its Covid-19 protocols to enable fixtures to be played as scheduled, and these continue to have the full backing of Government.”
But after this week’s outbreak at Sheffield United — plus Fulham boss Parker and Southampton’s Ralph Hasenhuttl self-isolating — the latest Tier changes put paid to fans on Merseyside and spoiled Marine’s big day on Sunday week.

Three-quarters of England in Tier 4 including all of North East and huge parts of Midlands and South West More

FANS will once again be banned from ALL English football stadiums from tomorrow morning after a rapid rise in coronavirus cases.
Liverpool and Everton were the only remaining Premier League sides allowed to host supporters – until an announcement by health secretary Matt Hancock on Wednesday afternoon.

Anfield will once again be empty after tonight’s game with NewcastleCredit: EPA

The entirety of England, with the exception of the Isles of Scilly, will wake up in either Tier 3 or 4 on New Year’s Eve.
Only clubs inside Tier 2 areas are allowed a maximum of 2,000 fans inside grounds.
The East Midlands, North East and parts of the South Coast are among the regions entering Tier 4 restrictions – which now encompass almost 80 per cent of the population.
The move is one of many recent setbacks for football amid a sharp increase in cases across the country.

A number of games have been postponed in recent weeks due to outbreaks of the virus inside squads.
Tottenham’s game with Fulham on Wednesday evening was called off only hours before kick-off after a spike of cases in the Cottagers camp.
Newcastle were forced to postpone a trip to Aston Villa earlier in December with Monday’s game between Manchester City and Everton also cancelled.
Next month’s hotly-anticipated North-West derby between the league leaders Liverpool and second-placed Manchester United is just one fixture now taking place behind closed doors.

And some are calling for an extended break to minimise the disruption.
SunSport understands a small number of clubs have privately floated the idea – but Premier League chiefs remain determined to carry on with their current plans.
West Brom boss Sam Allardyce said after his side’s loss to Leeds, which came after a single positive test in his squad, that a ‘circuit-breaker’ may be necessary.
He said: “Everyone’s safety is more important than anything else.
“When I listen to the news that the variant virus transmits quicker than the original virus, we can only do the right thing, which is have a circuit break.
“I am 66 years old and the last thing I want to do is catch Covid.
“As much as we’re getting tested – we had one positive this week – it seems to be creeping round.

Can we please get this two week circuit breaker thing off the table. Players may get four-five days off. What is that going to do?
Gary Neville

“No matter how hard we try, no matter how many times we get tested, how we wear our masks, how we sanitise our hands, we’re still catching a lot infections round the country.
“If that helps [circuit breaker], let’s do it and let the season run a little longer when we get through it.”
However ex-England defender and shareholder in League Two Salford Gary Neville dismissed the idea.
He tweeted on Wednesday: “Can we please get this two week circuit breaker thing off the table.

“The players would have to carry on mixing and training to be ready in two weeks for a match.
“They may get four-five days off. What is that going to do? Would have to be a long break to do anything meaningful!”
Neville’s sentiment was echoed by Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish – who replied to the pundit’s tweet with the comment ‘Bang on!’

Matt Hancock discusses new mutant strain tearing across the country as Oxford vaccine approved More

PREMIER LEAGUE chiefs remain determined to keep the season on track – despite the latest Covid spike.
Manchester City’s game at Everton on Monday was called off just hours before the scheduled kick-off after  a surge in positive tests at the Etihad.

Sam Allardyce had backed the calls for a ‘circuit-breaker’Credit: Rex Features

But Sheffield United played at Burnley on Tuesday despite being without three players – Oli McBurnie, Phil Jagielka and Billy Sharp – and boss Chris Wilder reporting that ‘four of five’ of his backroom staff had tested positive.
Fulham’s game at Spurs this evening remained on at midday although Tottenham are understood to believe their rivals may request a postponement.
And while there are increasing concerns over the spread of the virus after the discovery of the fast-growing mutant strains, League chiefs have no current intentions of calling the campaign to a halt.
West Brom boss Sam Allardyce sounded the alarm bells after his side’s thrashing by Leeds, while two or three clubs have privately discussed the possibility of a ‘circuit breaker’.

But SunSport understands such a conversation has not included any of the Big Six, who remain fully behind League chief executive Richard Masters in his continuation strategy.
There has also been no attempt to get the 20 clubs together to discuss the evolving situation.
At this stage, the next meeting of the 20 ‘shareholders’ has yet to be scheduled and is unlikely to take place until the back end of January.
That meeting will almost certainly have to address ‘curtailment’ issues if the League has to go into a temporary or even longer-term hiatus.

Clubs accepted at the start of the season that there needed to be a set of rules in place and that a points per game formula would likely be adopted if required.
But there was no agreement on the threshold of games for the season to be deemed “completed” if it ended early.
So far, League bosses believe they have acted sensibly and are putting the health, safety and welfare of clubs first.
West Ham boss David Moyes, though, articulated the concerns of a number of clubs – led by Aston Villa and Everton – by demanding more transparency from the Prem over the precise rationale behind when games could be postponed.
Everton were frustrated by the late decision to call off their game with City, pointing to regulations that suggested clubs could only ask for postponements if they had fewer than 14 senior players available.
League chiefs, though, insist that the regulations always gave the board room to exercise discretion and that the precedent was set when Newcastle’s game at Aston Villa in early December was called off after the Toon training ground was closed down following a virus outbreak.
City, who were awaiting the results of Tuesday’s mass screening of players and staff, fear that their outbreak could be worse than the one that saw Newcastle unable to train for more than a week.

Premier League clubs consider short-term shutdown after rise in coronavirus cases with matches postponed More