Football stars risk scoring an own goal
AMONG the many things brought to an immediate halt due to the pandemic last year were football matches.
I was among those who had bought a ticket for a game which I never had the chance to attend, while friends of mine held seasontickets, and missed out on a lot more.
It might not seem important to some people, who would compare it to missing out on trips to the cinema, or on eating in a nice restaurant.
But for plenty of people, football is much more than that – it is a vital part of their identity, and holds sway over their routine and their social circle.
The return of fans, in person, to football grounds was among the key moments as we emerged from months of lockdowns.
In the interim, matches restarted, but in empty grounds.
Plenty of footballers, managers and others involved in the game were quick to say that football is nothing without the fans when those games were played, and TV channels even offered games with fake crowd noise.
So, with all that in mind, I was astounded to hear that no fewer than five of the current England football squad are still not vaccinated, as they head off to Andorra for a World Cup qualifier this weekend.
Worse still, it has been reported that among two-thirds of Premier League footballers have not received the full two doses, with many refusing to have a jab altogether. Among those who have come out against this stance is Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who said that refusing to have the vaccine was akin to drinkdriving, as you are putting others at risk through your actions.
Don’t forget that football fans who attend matches in many grounds need to show proof of vaccination, or a negative lateral flow test – including to watch England at Wembley.
While the players no doubt have to take tests in order to be eligible to play, there will be plenty of fans who would question their attitude, considering the efforts authorities have made to make football Covid-safe.
Don’t forget that these are ‘role models’ who could easily legitimise anti-vaccine excuses, and even the barmy conspiracy theory that it is the Government watching us.
Let’s say that the population was to follow their example and twothirds of people refuse the jab. What would occur?
It’s likely that the third spike we have seen would have led to far more cases, far more deaths, and possibly another lockdown.
The pandemic is estimated to have cost the Premier League €1.6 billion in lost income, as fans were forced to stay away, and the income from TV broadcasts failing to make up the difference.
The Euro 2020 tournament, which took place this year instead, would have taken place behind closed doors, and had a similarly subdued atmosphere to the hollow calls of players during domestic matches.
Was it any coincidence that England did so well during a tournament when their key games were played at Wembley?
The fact that the Three Lions had a partisan crowd behind them no doubt helped to make it to the final, even if Italy ultimately took the silverware.
Yet there could be more to come on this tale, as FIFA is considering banning any player who has not been vaccinated from next year’s World Cup.
That would be a move which many people would cheer, and no doubt lead to some rethinking by some players as to whether their principles are more important than playing in a once-every-four-years tournament.
To miss out on that really would be an own goal.
The players are ‘role models’ who could easily legitimise antivaccine excuses