KOP DOC: IT’S TIME TO STOP
THE Premier League is reaching a tipping point – but faces an impossible decision over whether to temporarily suspend action as the pandemic continues to sweep the country.
That’s the view of former Liverpool club doctor, Peter Brukner, who has watched the situation in the UK unfold from his home in Australia.
The Premier League has insisted that there are no plans for a pause in the current schedule, despite 18 players testing positive for Covid-19 last week. That’s three times the number of positive tests recorded in the week between 7 and 13 December.
It’s a deteriorating situation, but one that Brukner (below) believes is inevitable given the wider picture.
“The big issue is, are you putting the safety of players and staff in danger?” he said. “If managers like Sam Allardyce and Roy Hodgson were in the community, they would be selfisolating because they’re in that highrisk age group. We’ve already had Sam speak out and the fact is that not everyone in football is 25.
“There are some very difficult decisions but, the way things stand, I think they’re going to have to pull the pin. They’re going to say ‘we can’t really continue like this.’
“And then you’ve got the problem of how long a break lasts because, the way things stand at the moment, we’re not at a stage when everything is going to get better in two weeks.”
Some sports have taken things to extremes in order to complete their scheduled season. Australia’s AFL season was completed in a biosecure environment in Queensland.
The league reported zero positive cases throughout the season, with players living in resorts in the state.
That’s clearly not an option for the Premier League, with teams previously opposed to finishing the 2019-20 season at neutral venues.
Brukner, who left Anfield in 2012, believes it’s a balancing act between getting the season finished and ensuring that players and staff are kept safe.
“While we say that young people are at minimal risk, athletes might be at higher risks because they’re constantly pushing their bodies,” said Brukner, who has also worked for the Australian national cricket team.
“If there is a pause then you have to squeeze in even more games. Again, that’s not ideal when you’re already seeing higher than usual injury problems.
“It’s really an impossible situation.”