Pep: Football not to blame for Covid
CITY BOSS URGES GOVERNMENT NOT TO MAKE PLAYERS SCAPEGOATS FOR VIRUS
PEP Guardiola has urged the government not to blame footballers for the worsening spread of Covid-19 in the UK.
A debate has been ongoing this week about Premier League stars hugging and shaking hands during goal celebrations as elite sport continues, but most of the UK is in national lockdown and many businesses have been forced to close temporarily.
City boss Guardiola spoke in midweek about players finding it difficult to curb their emotions after scoring and pointed to the rigorous testing Premier League clubs are adhering to and the many strict distancing guidelines before, during and after games.
On Thursday the FA, Premier League and EFL issued stricter guidelines to clubs in light of increasing cases around the country.
The point has been made that focusing on goal celebrations is counter-productive, given the amount of close contact between players during a match.
However, an increasing number of positive tests in the Premier League, causing some postponements in the last month including City’s visit to Everton, has drawn the conduct of players into a national focus.
Speaking ahead of City’s Premier
League clash with Crystal Palace tomorrow, when they will be hoping to welcome back all isolating players after their own outbreak aside from Sergio Aguero, who came into contact with the virus away from the club, Guardiola urged the government not to make footballers scapegoats.
He said: “We want to follow the protocols. I know the Premier League is fighting, I understand how sensible it is, I don’t think the whole problem is due for the players.
“We can do as much as we can as better as possible and follow the protocols. If someone breaks the rules like sometimes it happens, it’s not good.
“The reaction, we are going to fight, we know the situation where if we score goals we have to be careful like in the beginning not to hug much, but sometimes it’s difficult because football, if you lose the emotion, what happens in the moment it’s difficult.
“But on the other side I understand so be sensible. “A lot of businesses cannot do their jobs, they are closing and we are fortunate we can play football and we can do our jobs.
“We try, all the clubs, managers, doctors, clubs in Premier League, Champions League, League One, League Two, we want to follow the
I understand how sensible it is, I don’t think the whole problem is due for the players
Pep Guardiola
protocols because we know we are concerned how important it is.
“We are concerned how difficult is the situation right now here in the UK, a lot of people unfortunately are being infected and dying every day and we have to do it and we are going to do our best to follow the new rules for the government, the scientists, inform us what we have to do.
“But please, the situation that is happening in the UK is not due to football players.
“So don’t blame absolutely responsibility on our jobs and our players because at the end it’s a pandemic situation all around the world and from the day one we follow what the Prime Minister said, we will follow it.
“I can talk on behalf of everyone here at Manchester City.”