‘IT WAS MORALLY THE RIGHT THING TO DO AND I DON’T EXPECT SANCTIONS AGAINST THE CLUB’

CREWE Alexandra boss David Artell does not expect any sanctions after Saturday’s game against Oxford United did not go-ahead after a positive coronavirus case.

The Sky Bet League One clash was postponed after the Railwaymen informed their opponents about the positive test in the camp.

Artell felt they had done the ‘right thing morally’, before saying they could have played and ended up spreading the virus to their opponents.

Despite suggestions they had known earlier in the day, United only discovered the issue after the visitors arrived at the Kassam Stadium.

After a debate on the pitch, it was only called off after a Crewe official made the decision that they could not fulfil the fixture.

Alexandra had arrived intent to play the game, but United did not want to take any risks.

“Oxford, probably quite rightly said we don’t want to expose our players to that, which is fully understandable, because they don’t know how many are infected on our bus,” Artell told BBC Radio Stoke. “The EFL were saying they couldn’t call the game off, we had to. My understanding is there won’t be any sanctions for us as a club, or Oxford for taking the stance they’ve taken. I think it’s a sensible decision. “I think it’s a reflection of what happens if you don’t test.

“I’d like to think I’ve done the right thing morally, because I could have quite easily have played – and infected lots of Oxford players to make them potentially weaker for next week. I don’t want to do that.

“I think it was the right thing to do. It’s a sensible decision all round. “The boy in question is asymptomatic, we didn’t know he was having a test. He was having it because he’s got a young baby.

“We’ll have a round of testing to make sure.

“We know we’re Covidsecure, but the disease is highly infectious.”