Tonight’s Premier League clash between Manchester City and Arsenal has been postponed because Arsenal have been exposed to the coronavirus.
The Premier League announced the postponement this morning as a precautionary measure. Arsenal players and staff have been placed into quarantine because they were in contact with Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who announced yesterday that he had tested positive for coronavirus, during their Europa League game at the Emirates on February 27.
Arsenal were keen to stress that nobody in the organisation has shown any symptoms, and that it was the Premier League’s decision to postpone the game.
Read: Manchester United a Team on The Up After Derby Win
“We are strictly following the Government guidelines which recommend that anyone coming into close contact with someone with the virus should self-isolate at home for 14 days from the last time they had contact,” said an Arsenal statement.
“As a result, the players are unavailable for tonight’s match against Manchester City and the Premier League has decided the game should be postponed.
“The players will remain at their homes until the 14-day period expires. Four Arsenal staff – who were sitting close to Mr Marinakis during the match – will also remain at home until the 14 days are complete.”
What this does, though, is bring into focus the realities of such an epidemic for the U.K.
Want to bet on the Premier League? See our reviews section to find the best betting markets!
In Italy, domestic sport has been suspended for a month. In France and Spain, all games are to be played behind closed doors. The U.K reaction has been slower, and there has been no discussion about how domestic sport will be affected.
The Cheltenham festival will go ahead as normal. This is out of line with how mass events are being dealt with in Europe.
In the U.S, the NBA, NHL and MLB are all strongly considering playing games behind closed doors. This seems like an inevitability for the Premier League as well, if the games aren’t cancelled altogether. Given the direction things are going, we could see football suspended indefinitely until the coronavirus is contained.
