Rooney slams soccer bosses
Former English star says players were ‘guinea pigs’
Wayne Rooney has criticized England’s football authorities over how long they took to suspend matches in the country amid the coronavirus outbreak, saying it felt like players were being treated like “guinea pigs.”
The Premier League, English Football League, Women’s Super League and men and women’s FA Cup competitions were suspended on Friday following an emergency meeting sparked by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta testing positive for the virus a day earlier.
“Why did we wait until Friday? Why did it take Mikel Arteta to get ill for the game in England to do the right thing?” the former England and Manchester United captain wrote in a column for the Sunday Times.
“For players, staff and their families it has been a worrying week — one in which you felt a lack of leadership from the government and from the FA and Premier League.
“After the emergency meeting, at last the right decision was made. Until then it almost felt like footballers in England were being treated like guinea pigs.”
Rooney said he would never have been able to forgive the authorities if anyone in his family had contracted the virus through him.
“The rest of sport — tennis, Formula One, rugby, golf, football in other countries — was closing down and we were being told to carry on,” he added.
“I think a lot of footballers were wondering, ‘Is it something to do with money being involved in this?’ Thankfully football made the right call in the end. We had to put the season on hold.
“If people’s lives are at risk, that has to come first.”
Players from Brazilian club Gremio took to the field wearing masks on Sunday in protest at having to play a soccer match as coronavirus fears grow in the South American nation.
The players, led by manager Renato Portaluppi, walked out of the tunnel to play Sao Luiz and lined up before the game wearing white masks over their faces.
“This protest by the players to take the field wearing masks makes implicit our support for the championship to be halted,” Paulo Luz, Gremio’s director of football, said in quotes reported by Brazilian website UOL. “Life must take precedence.”
No spectators were allowed into the Gremio arena for the Gaucho state championship match.
The protest comes as players and clubs across South America are starting to complain at decisions by footballing authorities to order games to be played, but behind closed doors.
Five members of the playing squad and staff of La Liga club Valencia have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Spanish side said on Sunday.
Valencia and Argentina defender Ezequiel Garay became the first La Liga player to confirm he has the virus. Valencia travelled to Milan last month for a Champions League match at Atalanta and played in front of a packed San Siro stadium before restrictions were placed on sports events in Italy.
A Valencia-based journalist at the match tested positive for the virus the following week.