Is it time to take a fire-break from Football?

[Spursex]

Positive tests from with the EFL and PL continue to remain high, Football cannot remain aloof from the wider rules and are clearly part of the problem.

Surely the Football authorities must realise what is going on and enforce a lock-down of football just as it did last year?

Like everyone else, I love the game and missed it badly in the first lockdown - put with excess deaths now running at 15%+ over the last five years average and expected to rise further, let alone the overwhelming of the NHS we cannot in all conscience allow Professional football to be treated differently - or can we?




'Patience wearing thin' over Covid breaches in football

Images of players celebrating inside tightly packed dressing rooms were an unwelcome feature of FA Cup third-round weekend - while crowds of fans gathering outside cup ties drew criticism and caught the attention of government ministers.
On the back of players from all levels of the game apologising for various coronavirus rule breaches, the case for football to continue while the rest of society is locked down is coming under increasing scrutiny.
English Football League chief executive Trevor Birch wrote to all clubs on Monday warning them that "now is not the time for complacency" over Covid protocols, adding: "We will come under extreme governmental pressure if we continue to flout the rules and guidance in place.”
BBC sports editor Dan Roan says while elite sport is not yet in the "last-chance saloon", there are "no guarantees", with the government’s "patience wearing thin".

“The optics of on-field hugs and handshakes, and fans gathering outside grounds, beamed into millions of homes at a time when the government is desperate for the public to stay at home and avoid contact with other households, is highly unhelpful to those making the case for professional sport to be allowed to continue,” our sports editor says.

“Having warned sports bodies of their responsibilities last week, the government does now expect to see the football authorities in particular redouble their efforts, and for players' behaviour to reflect the privilege they enjoy in being able to continue to work when there has been so much disruption in so many people's work and lives.”

 

[Nick Real Deal]

If it was right before, its right now. I dont want it to lockdown but cant ignore the figures.

 

[Pompey Yid]

I went for NO! but thinking on, after reading your post EX, I should have said YES!

 

[Spursex]

I went for NO! but thinking on, after reading your post EX, I should have said YES!

I believe the poll will let you change your vote?

 

[muttley]

Absolute no brainer for me. We will see more and more unnatural acts happen, influenced by the money men and broadcasting companies desperate to keep their revenue streams flowing. We will see more non-compliance of COVID protocols by the football community, risking peoples safety.

Hit the circuit breaker button now.

 

[Topspur1]

Without knowing how many cases and deaths can be attributed to football it's hard to say, if the government is truly going to vaccinate 2m people a week I see no need to shutdown football.
You could however make a case for keeping players in a bubble for few weeks

 

[Gary Onedaysoon]

Henry Winter, journalist, has suggested that Premier League footballers should consider living in their biosecure training grounds for the next few weeks, leaving only for matches.

"It is right that football plays on but only when being seen to make sacrifices during a period of national emergency that is demanding forfeits of freedom by everyone."

Seems reasonable to me if they want to continue.

 

[muttley]

Henry Winter, journalist, has suggested that Premier League footballers should consider living in their biosecure training grounds for the next few weeks, leaving only for matches.

"It is right that football plays on but only when being seen to make sacrifices during a period of national emergency that is demanding forfeits of freedom by everyone."

Seems reasonable to me if they want to continue.

When you think about just one live televised game, it would be interesting to know what percentage of that greater football community are players. It can't hurt isolating players, but my guess would be that there are so many more people involved and you can't isolate them all.

 

[RafasLeftFoot]

when corrie and eastenders go into lock down its time for football too

 

[Gary Onedaysoon]

When you think about just one live televised game, it would be interesting to know what percentage of that greater football community are players. It can't hurt isolating players, but my guess would be that there are so many more people involved and you can't isolate them all.

Fair point. But it's far easier to keep the backroom staff etc., away from the players for the majority of the time than it is to separate the players themselves. I think it would be worth trying before torpedoing the whole thing. As a minimum you would think it would at least significantly reduce the infection rate.

 

[Nick Real Deal]

This goes back to my point on another thread. How hard can it be not to get infected as a PL footballer ?
They should be living in a bubble, away from their families if they cant be trusted.
They can be tested every day at the training ground.
The coaching staff should be under the same controls.
I dont know for sure but I suspect the infections in football are down to negligence and irresponsibility.

 

[ScottDaYid]

No.

If there's any break (even a week or 2 - which wont make any difference btw) then that also means no Euro's in the summer.

We can only just about squeeze the season in as we currently are.

 

[Departed]

No.

As far as am concerned they are an essential service giving a large number of people who have little else to look forward to something besides naffing Covid to talk about.

The teams are funding the costs of keeping these players healthy. It is not impairing anything servicing the general public.

 

[muttley]

No.

As far as am concerned they are an essential service giving a large number of people who have little else to look forward to something besides naffing Covid to talk about.

The teams are funding the costs of keeping these players healthy. It is not impairing anything servicing the general public.

Nope, the general public are funding them. Football clubs revenue streams come form TV subscriptions, season tickets, merchandise etc.

I also don't see anyone caring so much about the mental health of the general public who can't afford subscription TV in that "essential service" argument.

So many anomalies :-)

 

[Spursex]

No.

As far as am concerned they are an essential service giving a large number of people who have little else to look forward to something besides naffing Covid to talk about.

The teams are funding the costs of keeping these players healthy. It is not impairing anything servicing the general public.

They have two weeks to reduce the numbers of players/staff returning positive tests - and then I am told that it's a 100% certain that a firebreak will be considered at the February PL owner meeting.

 

[Spursex]

No.

If there's any break (even a week or 2 - which wont make any difference btw) then that also means no Euro's in the summer.

We can only just about squeeze the season in as we currently are.

I still doubt that even with the vaccine program here and in Europe whether this should be going ahead anyway - mostly because PL footballers are once again going to get feck all break from football.

They should call it off now.

 

[SheringhamNo10]

On the one hand I think football should be shut down for a period until the pressure on the nhs is reduced.

On the other hand I think footballers in general ‘a high proportion anyways’ couldn’t give a flying f**k and will only contribute to the spread in their normal lives outside of football regardless. So many have flouted the rules so far and realistically I don’t see that changing.

 

[RafasLeftFoot]

have so many flouted the rules a greater number have tried to do good, charitable gifts, then poor. Actually its predominantly overseas players that are culprits / or get caught

 

[Gary Onedaysoon]

I'm very surprised Dyche's proposal for vaccinating the footballers hasn't kicked up a stir. I'm sure the football authorities would see it as a solution but would be scared to death of endorsing it.

 

[SheringhamNo10]

have so many flouted the rules a greater number have tried to do good, charitable gifts, then poor. Actually its predominantly overseas players that are culprits / or get caught

Well in our own team so far Jose, Aurier, Lo Celso, Lamela and Reguilon have been caught out.

Your not telling me that they were innocent, isolated cases?

Of course lots of players do great things for charity aswell. They are in a very privileged position to be able too.

I would add however that just because Aurier might donate 5% of his weekly wage to a local charity doesn’t excuse him from getting his hair cut and posting it all over social media durning lockdown or just because Jack Grealish spends 2hrs a week at a local children’s hospital doesn’t then exonerate him from crashing his motor whilst pissed out and about when he should be at f**king home.

I mean there’s no point in me running 7 marathons in 7 days to raise awareness for domestic abuse only to go home and throw the missus down the stairs because the poached eggs on my Eggs Royale are too hard.