How will British football handle coronavirus?
There is no doubt that the health of the world’s population is way more important than 22 people chasing a ball of wind around a patch of grass.
Equally, there can be little doubt that coronavirus is going to have some sort of impact on football in this country before the season is out.
Already in Italy – the hardest-hit nation in Europe – games have been postponed, and now it has been decreed that all Serie A fixtures will be played behind closed doors until April 3.
Instead of a full-house at Juventus-inter tonight, the only spectators will be the backroom staffs, substitutes, TV, the press and a few pigeons.
You could argue that is an over-reaction by the Italian authorities.
You could suggest you are more likely to contract a viral infection stuck inside a confined space – such as a plane, a train or a cinema – than outside in a football stadium.
But none of us can debate that point with any great conviction.
Why? Because we are in uncharted territory with coronavirus, and even highly-qualified scientists are struggling to find an antidote that will knock the thing out cold.
And even when they hit on a cure, I’m told it will be 12-18 months before the vaccine will have passed rigorous tests and be safe to administer to the general public.
No doubt about it, this is scary.
My attitude – which I think most people should adopt – is to keep calm and carry on, while following Government guidelines about hand-washing, the use of hankies and so on. So you won’t find me at Cheltenham this week wearing a face mask.
But you will find me at Cheltenham, just as you will find a full house at Ibrox on Thursday night for Rangers’ Europa League tie with Bayer Leverkusen, and attendances continuing to hold up as the league season heads towards a critical phase of the campaign.
But what if things continue to get worse? What if Boris Johnson decides the dangers to the public from coronavirus have reached the stage where thousands gathering for a football match is too much of a risk? Following the Serie A route might work. However, could you see the final Old Firm game of the season being played behind closed doors and fans staying well away from it?
Can you see Celtic and Liverpool playing to clinch their respective league titles – the Hoops for nine-in-a-row, the Reds for their first in 30 years – inside an empty stadium? Maybe. But what about the thousands upon thousands who would undoubtedly converge on the match venues to be as close to the action as they could possibly be?
They would risk spreading the coronavirus outside the ground, just as much as inside.
So it is a potential headache for the football authorities – and one that leads us towards the real doomsday scenario for football. What if the Government pressurises them into stopping the league seasons altogether? What happens then?
Are all the games played in the previous months declared null and void?
Are the teams leading their divisions when the season is scrapped declared champions, and those at the other end relegated?
It hardly smacks of sporting integrity, does it? But don’t expect too much help from UEFA. They’re highly unlikely to step in, order a suspension of league football in their member countries, and decree the season will be extended to allow the fixtures to be completed. Not when they have the Euro Finals on the horizon. Not when any season extension could seriously impact their bank balance.
Interesting times ahead.
You won’t find me at Cheltenham this week wearing a face mask – but I will be there