Football can’t be perfect in a pandemic so stop moaning and play nice
JUST play nice. That’s what we tell children, isn’t it? That’s what we say when roughhouse turns to tears. Share. Be kind. It’s the same with the Premier League.
Yes, it must be very frustrating to have your game called off at the 11th hour. Yes, it must be very inconvenient. The work has been done, plans and tactics laid down. And there is the worry of fixture congestion further along the line.
But it’s a pandemic. Nobody wanted it. Nobody asked for it. There are considerable complexities to be dealt with right now. Don’t complain. Don’t make a big fuss. Play nice.
Everton started this. Furious that Manchester City were allowed to cancel on Boxing Day, angrier still when the club resumed training shortly after, having got the all-clear.
Yet City’s Covid outbreak was no hoax. They were still missing five players at Chelsea on Sunday, including goalkeeper Ederson who was self-isolating.
His understudy’s first act was to pick the ball up from a backpass. It’s fair to assume Pep Guardiola would not be playing that guy just to prove a point.
Jose Mourinho was equally incensed by the cancellation of Tottenham’s fixture with Fulham. He called the Premier League unprofessional. This was before he knew about the 18- strong social gathering organised by his own players over the holiday period. They do that, kids — always showing you up in public.
But let’s consider what exactly was unprofessional. In the middle of a pandemic that has been escalating exponentially to the point of national crisis, the Premier League were contacted by Manchester City and then Fulham to say there was fear of a Covid spread within their secure training camp. Players and staff had symptoms or positive tests, others had been in contact.
Given Government intention is ‘stop the spread’ what exactly was the Premier League to do? Fingers crossed? Take a chance? Merseyside was a Tier 2 area on December 26, Manchester Tier 4. There were going to be fans at Goodison Park.
How irresponsible would it have been to insist the game went ahead as scheduled or, as happens in the divisions below, let the club make the decision, with the threat of sanction if the league investigates and does not agree?
Everton were upset that they were not consulted. Instead, the Premier League went with medical advice. Imagine that. Listening to doctors in a pandemic, rather than a cheesed-off football club with 2,000 tickets to refund, who might just have fancied their chances against Manchester City several men down.
‘Whilst Everton will always have public safety uppermost...’ began a statement that singularly failed to support that point with any contrary medical advice the club had received suggesting the match should be played.
Mourinho (right) was also upset at the timing of the Fulham postponement because Tottenham were close to arriving at the game when the news broke — but safety protocols cannot depend on whether your coach is parked up.
A Covid outbreak is exactly that. It’s random, it’s sudden. Mourinho claimed there were rumours the match could be postponed the day before, but surely we all know the procedures now? The test, the wait for results.
Fulham would have no doubt been hoping the worst had not happened. The Premier League gave them the time to avoid postponement. If the most severe consequence is turning around and heading home, it’s really not a bad old life.
Yet still we hear grumbles, still we hear gripes. There should be procedures, there should be firm lines of guidance. By now, we should know what to do. How exactly when so much is unprecedented? Is that what
happens in other industries? This one, for instance.
end of December, newspapers review the year; January starts, they preview it. and on the sports pages that usually involves a calendar detailing the big events and excited speculation of the joys to come. and this year was no different. even in the midst of a global pandemic, nobody said: Don’t bother.
There were no visionaries, no wizards with grand ideas of how the traditional preview should be redrawn to take into account present circumstances.
Often, on different pages, a breathless look ahead to rugby’s Lions tour would conflict with a news report that revealed serious doubt, as South africa’s coronavirus numbers peaked with no vaccination programme in sight.
Olympic anticipation sat beside news that Tokyo governor yuriko Koike had asked the government to declare a state of emergency after an ‘explosion’ of infections. and that juxtaposition occurred across all titles.
This isn’t intended as criticism. What can you do, except hope for the best? Some of us still have our flights to Tokyo booked for 2021, just as we did in 2020, even when it looked increasingly impossible the Olympics could go ahead. They remained in place right until the moment the Games were postponed, and they will again this year — like those sporting calendars and previews, a monument to hope over expectation. For how else can we do it? and that’s where the Premier League is. That’s why postponements come late. Stop playing football and they wouldn’t have to worry about cancelling any of it at short notice, but nobody wants that — least of all the clubs, who need the television money and continued commercial exposure to survive. So it’s not perfect, but how can it be? at least the Premier League are bold enough to make a call, unlike the eFL, who are still too timid to give direction and prefer their clubs to operate independently but in fear of sanction. Incredibly, eFL chairman rick Parry remains on the three-man Fa sub- committee who will consider the merits of postponements to Fa Cup ties this week. So yes, it is far from ideal. yet this is where we are, and where we will be for the foreseeable future. no roadmap, no precedent, and no torch to light the way. your coach may need to turn back at the roundabout, your stewards may be stood down at any minute, but rest assured, everybody is doing absolutely the best they can. So play nice.