MORALLY WRONG TO PLAY ON

Bruce fears for players and staff with Covid out of control, but Jose insists games MUST go ahead even if clubs field the kids

STEVE BRUCE has questioned the morality of toplevel football continuing in the face of the Covid crisis. Newcastle were the first Premier League side to have a game called off this season and had to close their training ground as the virus swept through the club.

Having witnessed the impact of the pandemic close up, Toon boss Bruce (right) has concerns about continuing the season. But Jose Mourinho (above) wants games to go ahead

and an end to allowing postponements because of coronavirus.

Bruce said: “Financially it’s right but maybe morally it’s wrong. We’ve had two players who were very, very sick and one or two members of staff who were nearly hospitalised.

“What’s it going to take, is that serious enough? The Premier League has had unbelievable protocols but Manchester City, Villa, clubs in lower divisions still get outbreaks.

“If we hadn’t shut down our training in December we’d have all had it.

Quite scary. I am vulnerable. I was

60 last week. Staff my age, it was scary how it hit them.”

Magpies captain Jamaal Lascelles (top) was allowed to resume training only this week after shaking off the virus, while Allan SaintMaximin (above) has returned to Tyneside but is still awaiting the all-clear.

Bruce added: “All of us are suffering and we’re the lucky ones, providing an entertainment that people are tuning in to to watch. But there will come a stage where we have to make a decision, we hope in the next two or three weeks, as we don’t want to see these outbreaks.”

Villa have confirmed 10 first-team players were among 14 positive cases at the club and they had to dip into their youth ranks to ensure last night’s FA Cup tie with Liverpool went ahead.

Villa host Tottenham on Wednesday, and Mourinho fears a fixture pile-up with that game under threat.

The Spurs boss b believes all top-flight clubs have been a aware since the st start of the sea season of the need to be able to put together a squad capable of fulfilling fixtures.

“It’s the moment for the Premier League to show leadership and make decisions,” he said.

“Decisions where a club like us, that is trying everything, every day, to be ready to play, to follow the rules that we had in our hands since the beginning of the season, can’t be punished.

“If we don’t play Aston Villa we will have had three matches postponed.”