‘Players treated like guinea pigs’ – Rooney
Wayne Rooney has criticised the government and the football authorities for treating players as “guinea pigs” in their confused message over the coronavirus outbreak.
And the former England captain says he would “never forgive” them if his family fell ill as a result.
Writing in a national newspaper, Rooney also proposed a radical schedule shake-up which could see the current season being concluded in September, and the next two kicking off in winter-time as a result.
The government last Thursday gave the all clear for sporting events to continue but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta testing positive led to the Premier League suspending games until 4 April.
Rooney wrote in his column: “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? 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.
“At last the right decision was made. Until then it almost felt like footballers in England were being treated like guinea pigs.
“If any of my family get infectedthroughmebecause I’ve had to play when it’s not safe, and they get seriously ill, I’d have to think hard about playing again. I would never forgive the authorities.”
Rooney added that he believes a radical re-structuring of the fixture calendar must be made when football resumes. It could include kicking off the next two Premier League seasons in winter. Rooney added: “We’re happy to play until September if the season extends to then. That’s our job. As long as we know we’re safe to play and it’s a safe environment for spectators, we’ll play.”